This is going to be a more personal post, exposing my entire personal branding strategy, or rather, the complete lack of one. 😅 If you're only here...
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
OHHH I was waiting for this for a while! Glad you wrote about this and happy 1 year anniversary on DEV!
It looks like we share something similar, which is our origin, except mine was OCD. I guess the only way is up after reaching the bottom and here we are!
I am glad you are still here at DEV after all this time. 2026 seems like a good year to meet new people and I am proud of you!
Was hoping if you want to meet on Video Chat sometime like @hemapriya_kanagala and @heyitsjem? Would be nice to meet you! :D
Congrats again!
Aww, thank you so much, Francis! ❤️ And yes, I think there's definitely something to that! Sometimes it's exactly those really difficult experiences that finally push us to make changes we probably wouldn't have made otherwise.
And I'd be happy to join you for a video chat! The earliest I could realistically do it would be sometime next week, though, because I still have one more conference coming up before that. 😂
Congratulations on your one-year anniversary on DEV! 🎉
I really admire the way you decided to start trying new things when you were going through such a difficult period. Turning that into speaking at
JS Poland, and then somehow turning “something for my About Me slide” into a blog that now leads to conference invitations, is an amazing journey.Thank you also for sharing the secret behind why your articles are so engaging 😸
It was especially interesting to see how your previous experience as an editor still shows up in the way you choose topics and headlines. And the idea of writing “half for myself and half for the reader” really stuck with me. That feels like a very healthy balance, and something I want to keep in mind for my own writing too.
Also, I really like your attitude toward comments!
Some of the best parts of DEV really do happen in the discussions below the articles.
Keep it up, and let’s keep growing together! 😸
Thank you so much! ❤️ Oh yes, once you've spent a few years working in an editorial team, I feel like that way of thinking simply becomes impossible to remove from your brain. 😂
I've never tried to hide the fact that I write for other people. But of course, the topic has to genuinely interest me too. If something interests only me and nobody else, I might as well write it in my diary — much less work that way. 🤣
And thank you again! I'm really happy that we're both part of this community and can keep growing here together. ❤️
I opened this post as soon as I got notification. Finished reading and it has 21 likes and 5 comments already. By the time I finish this comment, it will probably be even more :D
I might not comment that much, and I didn't even login to DEV for some time lately. But I like your style, and how deep your articles are and I read them when I can. And I can see why other people feel the same :)
Happy anniversary!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Kamil! 😊 And of course, people read whenever they have the time. I don't read everything on DEV either, not even everything I'm genuinely interested in. If I tried, I'd probably have no life left. 😂
So I really appreciate that you still find the time to read my articles when you can! ❤️
Sylwia, thank you for naming me in this one. A year in and 380k reads is not an accident.
Your line about a glimpse into a different part of the world is exactly why I keep writing the honest parts too. My own DEV anniversary is in November.
I started for visibility, after googling my name and finding almost nothing. A year later, the visibility came but the real win was connecting with developers like you across the world. Happy one year on DEV.
Thank you so much, Daniel! ❤️ Meeting people like you here really does change your perspective and gives you that glimpse into completely different parts of the world. I genuinely hope I'll get to visit Nigeria someday! 😊
And yes, visibility has definitely been a HUGE side effect for me too. I didn't really expect it when I started, but looking back after a year... wow. 😅
And since your anniversary is coming in November, I really hope you'll write something about your first year too! I'd love to read your version of this story.
Sylwia, Nigeria would welcome you well. And yes, I will write my version in November. I already wrote pieces of the story this year, the low points and the wins both. November just makes it official.
Lovely Sylwia❤️ I really loved reading this. Especially the part about how you still try to reply to every comment even after becoming such a big creator. That honestly makes me so happy.
And thank you, Poland, for giving us such a lovely person. ❤️
Thank you so much! ❤️ This is so sweet, you actually made me a little emotional. 🥹❤️❤️
Js Poland video on YouTube?
No, unfortunately! But there will be videos from several of my past and upcoming conferences, and I'll definitely share them here when they're available. 😊
No problem. 😄
Starting a blog just to have something for a slide and ending up at 380k reads is a great story. The bit about proving credibility before writing hot takes is solid advice too. Happy anniversary!
Thank you so much, Kudzai! 😊 And actually, out of all those stats, I think the one that makes me happiest is the reading time. Knowing that people didn't just click, but actually spent their time reading what I wrote means a lot to me! ❤️
What a beautifully candid journey. ❤️ I love how something that began as a simple line on an “About Me” slide gradually evolved into a meaningful community, a creative outlet, and even new opportunities. ✨
It makes me wonder—if you could give your first-week-on-DEV self one piece of advice, what would it be? 👀
Thank you so much! ❤️ I think I'd tell my first-week-on-DEV self that besides writing, I should spend plenty of time reading other people's posts and actually interacting with the community.
I came here thinking mostly about publishing my own stuff, but I quickly learned that DEV is just as much about the people as it is about the articles. 😊
Truly a top-tier creator among all veterans! Congratulations on your one-year milestone on dev.to! And the line "this is just the beginning" is honestly intimidating, haha 😂. With 380k reads, I can’t help wondering if you’re just humblebragging 😂. I’ve only hit 30k... I’m the one who’s really just getting started. Hahaha.🤣
Thank you so much, Lingfeng! 😄 But you know, 30k is actually A LOT! Think about it: when I speak at a conference, there are usually maybe 200 people in the room (and perhaps 1k will eventually watch the recording on YouTube). At a meetup, it might be around 40 people.
So when you look at it that way, 30,000 people reading your work is HUGE!!! 🤯🔥
Sylwia, I really love your articles 😀 Congrats on one year on DEV! Wishing you lots of love and success for the next year too 🧡
Thank you so much, Hemapriya! 🧡 I love DEV mostly because of people like you. 😊
Hey Sylwia, great read! Your journey from a conference slide to 380k reads is inspiring. I’d love to hear more about how you leveraged community feedback to shape your content.
Thank you! 😊 I think it depends. Sometimes I look at what people are discussing in the comments, what questions keep coming up, or what seems to bother them the most. Of course, I also pay attention to engagement, reading time, and things like that.
But honestly, I don't think I do anything particularly sophisticated. 😂 I mostly just observe what resonates with people and keep that in mind when deciding what to write next. 😄
Hey Sylwia, first of all Congrats on your one-year anniversary on DEV! 🥳
I've been following you on DEV for a long time and read almost all of your blogs. Not only are they informational, BUT they're also inspiring. Senior Engineers like you are the reason juniors still have hope in this field. Keep growing, keep shining, and yeah, keep spreading knowledge with your great attitude and love. Once again, thank you for your blogs! 🫡
380k reads??? 😮😮😮 And you say you’re not famous? 🤣
BTW, I’ve always admired how you manage to answer so many comments. 😄 Almost all of your articles have 100+ comments, and you reply to most of them. That must take a huge amount of time, maybe even more than writing the article itself? 😅
PS: I think we definitely need more articles like “You’re a senior developer only if…” 🤣🤣
Hahaha, I don't know! Nobody stops me on the street yet. 🤣 The employees at my local Biedronka do give me high-fives sometimes, but I think that's mostly because I'm there every single day. 😂
As for the comments, surprisingly, it doesn't take me that much time. I type really fast and, more importantly, I don't think at all while doing it. 🤣 Unless the comment itself is way too smart. Then I have a problem, because suddenly I feel like I need to come up with an equally smart reply so I don't make myself look like an idiot. 😂
And as for “You’re a senior developer only if…” — that's actually my most popular piece EVER, so maybe it really does deserve a sequel. 🤣🤣