2013 has been an interesting year I guess. Infact this very update could have been written with two completely different tones and endings. Alas, the good ending is the one included.
I’ve seen people come and go. Some old faces and some new have said hello. I got to work with some great characters and see some careers begin and blossom. We have a couple of juniors in the office who came in all bright eyes and bushy tails and give them their due, they smashed it. It’s great when someone can come in and own what they are given. Seeing them progress from these rabbits caught in the headlights to blossoming devs is a real perk of the job. A massive plus point for the agency.
As was getting to know Shane, my fellow front ender at the agency. His wit and never ending smile got me through many a tricky day. He’s a good lad who’ll go far. I hope to work more with him.
To be fair, it was a year of individuals stepping up to the plate where needed. Our backend team grew in stature over the year and seeing some people really stand out as leaders was a joy to see. I’m a big believer in people earning their corn and these lads did this year.
2013 was also a year of learning. I finally bit the javascript bullet and made big inroads into a skill I don’t possess. It’s ongoing but I’ll get there.
Oh yes I will.
As well as learning front-end skills, I’ll be learning the ways of UX as I move into that discipline come January.
It wasn’t just a good year for me and the agency. My good friend Andy Clarke had a successful year employing his first member of staff and also launching a popular podcast. Another good friend of mine James Young had a good year with some speaking gigs and selling many kitchen knives on the side. Well done to both.
It was also the year my mate Colin went down the freelance path and did a great job. We miss him dreadfully but we can see he’s loving it.
My good mate Jon announced he would become a dad. Knowing Jon like I do, this is amazing news. He is going to have a massive wake up call mind.
Gablaxian (Graham) learnt to drive. Jesus.
We had some sad times. We said goodbye to Joe who decided he was better than us and now he’s jetting off to Australia. I miss Joe a lot. He made the office tick. I wish people had realised that more when we had him there. Good luck Joe.
We also found out a new design trend, well a couple. First, flat design. It’s amazing and so new. Secondly, long shadows. Amazing. Massive kudos to dribbble for that.
No, 2013 was an ok year all in all. It could have ended differently but it leads us nicely to 2014. I wonder how that will pan out?