Although May is almost upon us, I've been planning to write this post for quite some time now, and I'm excited to share it as my very first post here.
Writing
Let's start with something I've been postponing for a long time. I have always loved to write, but I never felt confident enough to post my work anywhere. So, this post marks my first step towards sharing my writing with the world. This doesn't just include writing here on dev.to; I've always loved writing lyrics, but I've never shared them with anyone before (we'll talk more about my hobbies later). Technical writing for documentation is also a part of this.
I will be studying how to write better, how to be less verbose, create catchy titles, and improve my SEO skills, among other things. Additionally, I need to work on my English grammar since I'm a native Portuguese speaker. While I've been fluent in English for years, I often struggle with "imposter syndrome" when it comes to my grammar since I never received formal education in English .
Resources
The English Master Course: English Grammar, English Speaking - https://www.udemy.com/course/learn-english-grammar-online/learn/lecture/30504124?start=30
Technical Writing: How to Write Software Documentation - https://www.udemy.com/course/start-your-career-as-user-assistance-developer/
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing (Updated) - Proven Professional Techniques for Writing with Style and Power - https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/1984803689/?coliid=IZP61R64TQWG9&colid=1L8AYV5TZLK1U&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Go deeper into FrontEnd fundamentals without frameworks
While it's always exciting to learn about the latest JavaScript trends, I believe that it's important to continue building on the core technologies that I use every day. Even if I've known them for years, these technologies always offer new things to learn and explore. Some of the areas I'm looking forward to improving in include Accessibility, by learning more about the WCAG principles, going deeper into Animations using CSS3, SVG, building games using Canvas, review about PWAs, and more.
I will also be learning advanced front-end development concepts such as data visualization, browser rendering and optimization, advanced techniques for caching and service workers to improve my knowledge of PWAs, testing and automation, Design Systems. I will do more personal projects to practice those things (this also applies to every topic in this article).
I also want to finally complete my JavaScript certification on FreeCodeCamp.
Resources
MDN Web Docs: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/
You Don't Know JS series: https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS
33 Concepts Every JavaScript Developer Should Know: https://github.com/leonardomso/33-js-concepts
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
FreeCodeCamp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/
Academind's PWAs Course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/share/1013nS3@Vk9OjB13G4O2AB1pWGO8BvBJwH5q-PJ9K7M6QPs43fZVBphKqgGOmPQskeaSu14S/
React.js Ecosystem
Similar to the previous topic, I have knowledge and experience with React, but I haven't had the chance to read the latest updates in the React documentation. I want to shift my focus to creating projects on my own following the docs instead of only following courses. I want to learn more about performance optimization and server-side rendering (SSR). Additionally, I finally got started with React Native recently and explore mobile development will be something that I will do from now on. While my primary focus will remain on web development, I'm excited to create personal projects using React Native, but I'll also love to have some professional experience with it.
Resources
Reactjs Docs: https://react.dev/
Nextjs Docs: https://nextjs.org/docs
React Native Docs: https://reactnative.dev/
React Native Academind course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/share/101Wau3@cXxkC_gkdD1-t85ZgrSzit3Tqh5cB4XeYQ0wxLBpcSYuc3R8IEwqqpsKGWzT7Trr/
Nextjs Academind course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/share/104coM3@-D-a4GYHvpaAJdJnXInhUybdQgs79ASWOfVKxqfu-EIZhfe1SIe38H-Bosm5XAvi/
Advanced React and Redux Stephen Grider's course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/course/react-redux-tutorial/
Dive deeper into BackEnd development
I know how to create a basic Node.js API with MongoDB, but I want to dive deeper into backend development. Specifically, I want to learn more about databases such as SQL and NoSQL, payments, servers, authentication methods beyond JWT, security, Redis, RabbitMQ, and more. Additionally, I plan to start learning Golang at some point. I learned the basics last year and now I want to deepen my knowledge, create personal projects in Golang, and apply the principles that I already know using Node.js.
Resources
Jonas Schmedtmann Udemy Course (almost finishing it): https://www.udemy.com/share/101Wv63@H8qXjRTQ6jkwMA_iRJsLYdi3U7OxSaBsM8HfxaphN81YlCVhxNMygtk9Gb1cQ7eK/
MongoDB
The Node.js Master Class on Pirple: https://www.discount-courses.com/courses/nodejs-master-class
MongoDB University: https://learn.mongodb.com/
Learn Go Programming by Building 11 Projects – Full Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFfo23yIWac&ab_channel=freeCodeCamp.org
DevOps concepts
I have always felt that I needed to learn DevOps. While I learned Docker last year, I know that it's time to deepen my understanding of it, even though it will not be my main focus.
DevOps Beginners to Advanced | Decoding DevOps with Projects course on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/share/104Tz63@ZQQXDlKrbM4M4Eq8zJcAxphxXo6WyReq5eUWEVoeZ5Jg2-VSjo8LiIfxDNVI6EHG/
DevOps Projects | 20 Real Time DevOps Projects: https://www.udemy.com/share/103WIY3@oQgtn_95O6cDpS2KUf_AEgXjqjh0UHXq489dERhMOtnzUG8QrwXx1Vd7OCBslHwI/
Bônus: Personal Life
I love coding, but I also know that there is more to life than just work. Music has been a hobby of mine for years, I used to play in a Symphonic Power Metal band before the pandemic, but I left the band in 2021, and ever since, I haven't been practicing music like I used to. So, I plan to improve my skills playing keyboards, guitars, and bass, learn how to program drum tracks, study about music production, recording techniques using DAWs software, work on my singing technique, stop procrastinating on learning more about music theory and how to read sheet music. I will also finally start recording and releasing my compositions. This connects to my first topic as well, since I have written some lyrics and songs over the years but have never released them. I will be focusing on writing Melodic Death/Doom Metal songs for now, recording everything and dealing with social media, design and marketing. If you are interested in metal music, feel free to follow me on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/brnms) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/_brnms/) to stay updated on my progress.
And what about you? Are there any tech or non-tech skills you are looking to master this year? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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