2019 in Review

5 minute read Published: 2019-12-31

It's been two years since I came out. So much has changed. So much has improved.

If 2018 was about accepting that truth, 2019 was about taking action on it..

For starters, I changed all my online profiles this year. I changed my name this year.

I realized that my career choices over the past several years had led me uncomfortably far from my ethics. (More on that later…)

The result? I spent eight months of 2019 uninsured and underemployed, but still very busy.

I interviewed at dozens of tech companies … and only got one offer.

I burned through 😱 $30,000 😱 of savings because I kept thinking, surely I’ll land the next interview! I would have reorganized my life sooner, had I known I’d be without regular work for a total of 20 months.

I underestimated how much misogyny and transphobia still rule the tech industry.

I wrestled with an increasing understanding of a contextual, intersectional identity, and adjusted to the embrace of my gender.

Yeah, I’m trans, so what? If you don’t like it, please get off this ride right now.

One might say, 2019 was a year of course correction.

I’m much more involved in things that matter to me now, and also more aware of what I will not compromise on in order to earning a living. Straddling between a day job in the tech industry and a vow I took years ago that I would work to benefit all sentient beings … continues to be a challenge in time and emotional management.

This means realigning my financial goals and re-prioritizing my time … but let’s look back at 2019 a little more.

I did a few things!

Photo of me in a leather hat with a side-pulled hairdo standing in front of a colourful sign that reads: DEFCON

It wasn’t all just rumination and navel-gazing… I actually did a few things in 2019!

I never feel like I've done enough

… until I look back at what I have done.

This helps me to know what I’m capable of, helps me set goals for the next cycle. It helps me overcome imposture syndrome.

So, about next year …

Goals for 2020

Hmm… I didn’t mean for that list to be in any particular order, but apparently I put “relationship” at the bottom and maybe that’s be a bad sign? 🤷

Anyway, that’s all for now! ✨

See you in 2020