The year is nearly over and now is the ideal time to contemplate and reflect on the successes we have achieved and the lessons we have learned.
This year has been a journey of discoveries and revelations as we navigated the ever-evolving computing world.
Today is particularly momentous and significant, as it is my 19th birthday🎉.
Before I take a look back over the year, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Patrick and I come from Slovenia, a beautiful country. I am currently ending my learnings in computer science at Celje and, in my free time, I give a lot of effort to improving my web development skills. I have been actively creating web solutions for three years now.
Blogging✒
Over the year, I wrote 11 articles on my technical blog, which focused primarily on web development, computer science, and my personal experiences with these topics.
Writing has become a passion of mine, as I thoroughly enjoy being able to share my knowledge with the world.
I strongly believe that knowledge is the only way to progress, and no matter where or when we learn, the value of writing an article to document what we've learned is priceless.
Writing about what we know helps us not only expand our understanding but also gives others the chance to learn more about what we have discovered. It also allows us to connect with others who have similar interests, and to help one another grow in our shared understanding.
The most-read articles in 2022:
Research paper📚
At my high school, we create a good deal of research projects each year. This year, I made one too: a mobile application for my school centre, the largest in Slovenia—School Center Celje. I'm very proud of it.
The ŠCC Mobile app was popular among all students. It simplified a lot of information from various sources. Unfortunately, I had to shut it down due to the School Center's requirements.
I faced many challenges with the research project. The most important lesson I learned is to never give up, even in the face of failure.
The research project was also presented at the national competition of young researchers in Murska Sobota.
Presentation of my school🏛
In March, I had the opportunity to present my school, the Secondary School for Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science, on a day of open doors.
I was excited to have the chance to explain why our school in Celje is an excellent choice for those looking for an education in the sciences.
I was able to take advantage of this opportunity to practice my public speaking skills in front of a large audience. During the presentation, I was able to highlight the numerous advantages of our school.
I was also able to showcase my research paper ŠCC Mobile.
In the end, I'm proud to say that I was able to present my school in the best possible light, and I was thrilled to have had the chance to do so.
What matters most to me is the experience of public speaking, in front of a big audience.
Internship at HRC👨💻
In June, I completed a mandatory internship at the local company HRC. They produce software for Slovenian and Croatian banks, called Hibis.
During my daily tasks, I learned a lot of new things. My main task was to perform manual and automated testing of the online bank.
Working collaboratively with others can lead to faster, more efficient problem-solving.
This experience made me realize that testing is an important part of development, which is often overlooked and not given enough attention. Testing helps to ensure that the product is of the highest quality before it is released to the public.
I believe that schools should teach something about this topic. The most important lesson I learned from this experience was that if you have a development problem, you have a team of experts to help you solve it. Working collaboratively with others can lead to faster, more efficient problem-solving.
SloveniaSkills 2022 competition🏆
In September, my classmate Tilen Goršek and I represented the School Center of Celje in the SloveniaSkills competition in computer science and informatics.
The competition gave us real experience in setting up a network in a company, as well as how to secure the entire system. We learned about the advantages of using name servers and managing user authorizations.
Though we weren't the most successful, my classmates and I gained valuable knowledge.
Throughout the year, I encountered many people. I acquired a great deal of knowledge. What I appreciate the most is that there are countless opportunities to acquire new information at every turn; you just have to be proactive in finding them.
What's coming? 🚀
Perfect question… For now, I know I will write a new research paper and create a new product, BiznisBox. What's more, we'll see what the year brings. Before that, I'll finish high school and enrol in the university.