나의 아이덴티티를 찾는 여정의 2024년! - 한 개발자의 연말 결산

Introduction 🙋‍♀️

Can you believe it’s already the last day of 2024? So, as usual, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past year.
This year was filled with both big and small events. Overall, I did what I wanted to do and truly felt like I was in the driver’s seat of my own life. I’ll probably go into more detail in the main text, but I feel like my mind was refreshed through various activities and the interactions with the people I met along the way.

On December 30, I attended a retrospective meeting hosted by Geul-tto. I took some time beforehand to reflect on 2024, and it was both fun and insightful to see everyone else’s reflections(It’s fun to peek into other people’s lives, haha.) We had a great time sharing and discussing our reflections on the past year, which helped elevate the quality of our retrospective. Byun Seong-yoon’s retrospective template was a huge help, and I’ll be using that same template to write this post.

Based on the stories from my rough draft of the retrospective meeting preparation post, [2023 Retrospective][[[17]]), and My 2024 First-Half Retrospective, I’d like to take another look at how well the pieces of my life from January 1st to today have come together, what value I’ve gained from them, and what I’d like to do more of in the future.

A Closer Look by Category 🗂️

What I Did This Year 🎁

I used to organize things by month, but since there was so much content, I’ve reorganized it into specific categories.

📌 Work

May: Presentation for the A Hospital project (a project I’d been working on since October 2023)
June: Re-assigned to the main project
June: Participated in a business unit workshop at Kakao AI Campus
November: Assigned to the B Hospital project
Quarterly department dinners and activities as part of the dinner planning task force

📌 Community Activities

Geul-tto (Nov. 2023 – Present): Developer writing activities, publishing blog posts every other week, and various other activities
- March: Participated in the Geul-tto 9th Cohort Backend Infrastructure Roundtable
- September: Began serving on the Geul-tto 10th Cohort organizing committee
- October: Geul-tto 10th Cohort organizing committee retreat (stomach cramps issue...)
- November: Began participating in Dajinma-nul
- December: Participated in Geul-tto 10th Cohort Backend Infrastructure Roundtable
Geul-gi Project (April–): A romantic initiative to do whatever we feel like, with weekly check-ins and group activities
- April: Participated in Geul-gi Planting Event on the Han River
- May: Joined Hwaseongjo members for a walk around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress
- June: Participated in the "Gugeu" Project 5th Cohort Awards Ceremony
- October: Participated in "Gugeu" Laser Tag w/ Jung Jin-hwa (former national modern pentathlon athlete)
Memore (Jan–Jun): Weekly retrospective meetings; weekly writing and sharing of reflections

📌 Travel

January: Trip to Gongju with M and S
January: Trip to Jeju Island with Mom
February: Ski trip to Gonjiam with M and S
April: Solo trip to Busan (though now accompanied by a coffee chat)
July: Trip to Taean with family

📌 Conferences

October: Attended ifkakao
October: Attended PyCon
December: Attended Notion Summit

📌 Cultural

Life

March: Saw Notre-Dame de Paris w/ coworker L
May: Saw the special exhibition at the National Museum of Art, Sweden w/ SJ
May: Saw Yoon Hyuk’s exhibition
July: Saw Inside Out 2 w/ SM
September: Participated in school club (orchestra) concert w/ APO
September: Attended Son Yeol-eum’s “Going Home” concert w/ APO
October: Attended a violin recital w/ MJ
October: Visited the Federica exhibition w/ the Geul-tto members
November: Played an escape room game w/ the Geul-tto staff
November: Attended a drawing meetup w/ Geul-tto’s “Geul-tto Geurigeureotto”

📌 Other

March: Personal color analysis
May: Birthday photo shoot at Sihyeonhada
June: Developed hives due to an overwhelming schedule ㅠㅠ (Took medicine and felt better quickly)
October: Stomach cramps
December: Visited an amazing Gangnam yellowtail restaurant w/ Geul-tto members
December: Visited an omakase restaurant I’d been dying to try for ages

Memorable Moments 😉

✨ A 3-hour coffee chat with a new front-end team member

One day, we had a coffee chat while eating delicious bread, and somehow ended up talking for three hours
Although there was a significant age gap between us, I felt there was a lot to learn from their mindset, so I really wanted to talk with them
As we talked, we found we had a lot in common (a “let’s just do it” mindset), and our goals were similar too (trying out all kinds of technical work, whether back-end or front-end, and thinking about business challenges), so the three hours didn’t feel like a waste at all.

✨ Friends I met after 20 years

The story of friends I hadn’t seen since middle school but met again
- A: We met on Geul-tto (I experienced the truly fascinating Geul-tto universe...) I requested a coffee chat, and it turned out we even went to the same university—what a surprise!
- B: We never lost touch online, but this was our first face-to-face meeting in 20 years. We started coding around the same time, and even though we’re in slightly different roles now, we’re both still in the IT industry, so we had plenty to talk about.
- C: A friend I met at a math tutoring center in the neighborhood I moved to in 9th grade. Although we never attended the same school, this friend—who was a middle school classmate of mine at my high school—gave me the nickname “Human Haeinsa Tripitaka.”(Because I have a good memory)
Although my friends are now leading different lives, seeing new aspects of their lives was fascinating, and I found our reunion after 20 years to be a lot of fun.
- I learned about worlds I didn’t know about,(For friends who are married or raising children)
- Since their outlook on life has become much deeper than when we were young, I also learned a lot from them
I was struck anew by the passage of time
Since we have a long life ahead of us, let’s stay in touch more often from now on!

✨ Personal Color Analysis

I was completely convinced that I was a warm autumn tone, but it turned out I’m actually a cool summer tone
- I was absolutely shocked to find out that all the clothes I’ve worn and the makeup I’ve used so far were actually “worst colors” for me...
As I’ve been gradually changing my look, hearing that I actually look much better has made me realize that finding the right colors for me is surprisingly important (it feels like I’m taking better care of myself)
The consultant who did my personal color analysis said, “If you ever want to look older, just wear your worst colors.” -> It was fascinating to learn that even worst colors can be helpful when needed.

✨ Moments from My Travels

I traveled domestically a lot this year. There haven’t been many years in my life where I’ve traveled so extensively within the country.

Records of the emotions from my trips

Trip to Gongju
- This was my first “escape” (?) trip with friends, whereas I used to always spend the end-of-year and New Year’s holidays with my family
- Gongju is serene. When I lived in Daejeon as a child, I thought Gongju was a boring town, but now it feels like leisure.
- My friends and I each made three wishes for 2024 ->

We met in December to eat yellowtail, and everyone had achieved two of them (maybe it’s the power of declaration?)

Jeju Island Trip
- It had been almost 10 years since I’d gone on a trip just the two of us with Mom. It was a time when she was struggling a lot, so I just took her along
- But since I’m a Power P type and tend to plan things haphazardly, I’m just grateful that my Power J mom went along with it exactly as I planned..
- Jeju in the rain was romantic, but the wind was so strong that I realized umbrellas were useless (I vowed to bring a raincoat next time)
- I visited a famous media art center, which reminded me of how I’d been interested in interaction design back in college.
  - I’m on a different path now, but maybe I can connect the dots someday?
Trip to Busan
- It had been quite a while since I’d traveled alone, and true to my Water element, I absolutely loved the ocean.
- It was a unique experience to go all the way to Busan just for a coffee chat -> Local recommendations for good restaurants are definitely reliable
I was grateful that they understood my struggles, having worked in the same field before! And that really gave me a boost, so my work has actually improved as a result
Golbangjip is a place I definitely have to visit again... There’s a branch in Suwon too, so I plan to stop by (it’s a great spot to enjoy some quiet reflection)

✨ Geul-tto, Gudeu Project, Memo-e Activities

Simply activities that provided me with insights in every moment
- I think I’m able to participate with less effort because I’ve met so many like-minded people
Activities that helped me rediscover my naturally extroverted side
Activities that even allowed me to pick up my old hobbies again (writing, drawing, exercising, playing music, cultural activities, etc.)
In the case of Geul-tto, in particular, I felt the warmth of the community even more through the class meetings, which inspired me to want to join the management team
- And I became part of the crew in charge of preparing for the 10th-term community meeting
- I really hope that the people attending the community meeting can share in the good memories I’ve experienced + It would be best if we could offer them a unique experience as well!

✨ Participating in a School Club (Orchestra) Concert

The moment I actually picked up an instrument again after five years...!
At the end of 2023, a junior in the club asked me to play at their wedding, which is what got me back into music
- If it hadn’t been for that, I probably still wouldn’t have picked up my instrument again
After impulsively agreeing to participate in the concert, I was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety about my skills
- So I immediately signed up for a 3-month intensive course and committed to consistent lessons and practice
Thanks to that, I experienced a massive dopamine rush for the first time in ages
- As I mentioned in My Thoughts on the Orchestra, I’ve continued with the orchestra partly because I love how individual efforts come together to create harmony -> Ultimately, I think work at the company isn’t much different, and that’s just how society works

✨ Son Yeol-eum’s Going Home Project

I felt once again that a sense of presence is especially important in music
- There’s a stark difference between music you just hear with your ears and music you feel vibrating through your whole body
After an orchestra performance (once I’ve fully immersed myself in that sea of dopamine), a sense of emptiness sets in, but this cultural activity was perfect for filling my heart

✨ Walking Around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

I lived in Suwon when I was in elementary school, so I used to visit Suwon Hwaseong often, but since becoming an adult, I’ve only been there once.
- It’s still not far from my house, but I haven’t been there.
But when I actually went, it was really nice.
- The weather was nice, it was great for a walk, and I even loved how the cultural heritage site was so well-preserved, proudly displaying its majestic beauty
**I felt that happiness isn’t really that far away (surprisingly, happiness is right nearby

!)**

✨ Project Presentation at Hospital A

There was a presentation on the results of a project I’d been involved in for about seven months (other companies also worked on different projects and held their own presentations)
- Our company received a lot of praise
I felt a sense of pride knowing that we contributed to providing real value to the people actually using the product in their daily work
As a backend developer, I worked on this entirely on my own—which has both pros and cons.
- Pros: I could set the project’s development direction exactly as I wanted.
- Cons: However, there was no one to judge whether what I wanted was actually the right approach.
- This made me appreciate how valuable colleagues are for conducting code reviews together -> Related Review

✨ Assigned to the B Hospital Project

I’m trying my hand at things I haven’t done before
- It’s like a Python backend developer’s journey into Kotlin and Spring
The team lead provides just the right balance of stick and carrot, so I’m able to participate in the project with a more relaxed mindset
- Carrot: The team lead expresses gratitude. Expressing gratitude for the work team members are doing makes me want to work even harder. (Since society is stingier with words of thanks than one might expect, people who know how to express them really stand out.)
- Stick: Instructions are clear. Since they clearly explain why something should or shouldn’t be done, we can find a compromise even when we initially disagreed. By the way, I also realized that what I hate most in these situations is the so-called “do as you’re told” attitude.

This Year’s Realization 💭

💡 I still really love getting out and about

I thought I was becoming an introvert, but it turns out I was just experiencing burnout
- I’m someone who absolutely needs time to myself to organize my thoughts, so it’s true that I’m somewhat independent (though this is different from being an introvert)
Going out = becoming better at seizing opportunities for diverse experiences
Whether I’m with others or spending time alone, I’ll get out as much as possible!

💡 I’m still someone with a lot I want to do

It’s just that, at my core, I love experiencing new things, so I constantly come up with things I want to do, and I often think, “I want to try this! I want to give this a shot!”
- I think having so many things I want to do is a good trait because it creates both big and small motivations for living
Whether it’s something I’ve done before or something new, I’m the type of person who feels satisfied only when I do what I want to do
- When I do what I want to do, I naturally do what I have to do better
Since working at a company (naturally) reduces the amount of time I have entirely to myself, there are definitely areas where I have to compromise.
- So, rather than things I want to do -> things I have to do, I think it would be better if there were a few more instances where things I want to do = things I have to do (I think I need to find some kind of balance!).
- Ideally, I’d love to have a bucket list connected to my job.
  - I’m sure I had one before, but it seems to have faded over the past two years… Let’s bring it back!
I’m adding this reflection because I think it would be good to prioritize the things I want to do based on certain criteria going forward
(I thought more about the questions I received during the retrospective meeting)
- 체력: First, I need to build up my stamina. I think I should start with activities that match my current stamina or help build it up.
- 명분: I think it’s also necessary to choose things with a clear purpose. For example, things that help with work, or things that align with my values and serve as a personal reward.
- 계획: While it was easier to do things simply because I felt “I really want to do this right now!”

, but I also think it’s important to align some of it with my life plan.

💡 I’m positive, and that’s why I like positive people

I’m the kind of person who tends to look at things in a positive light, whether it’s a phenomenon, an event, or a mechanism. I am a positive person.
That doesn’t mean I’m always right, but when I see the good side, I end up thinking, “Well, let’s just give it a try!”
- To put it another way, I have incredible drive
- I also believe that positivity is the driving force that propels us forward.
Even when I see shortcomings, I make sure to identify an “action item” and reframe it positively by thinking, “This is the next step, so let’s give it another try!”
However, there are people who view things from a different perspective. A prime example is the excessively pessimistic person. I’ve also decided this year that I don’t get along with that type of person(A turning point where my preferences became clearer)
- That doesn’t mean I can just brush them off. From their stories, I only listen to the facts. Facts are realized phenomena
- If I extract action items from those facts, I can still become a Lucky Biki person again

💡 But my stamina isn’t what it used to be...

I used to be so confident in my stamina that I had the nickname “Iron Stamina,” but now, if I don’t take care of myself, my energy runs out.
This year, I realized that scheduling appointments every single day, like I did in my 20s, is incredibly taxing. (The June Hives Incident)
I feel like I tested my limits this year
- Next year, shouldn’t I schedule things within my limits?

Action Items for 2025 📑

Actually, the action items I set for 2024 last year didn’t include any work-related elements. Maybe because it was that tough, I didn’t reflect much on work this year. But I feel I need to set some small goals to make a bigger leap next year, so here they are!

✅ Keep Documenting

Documentation is really important. It’s not just for explaining things to others; it also helps my future self.
- This is because human memory has its limits. There’s a reason they say “records beat memory”.
For example, a document a senior developer put together three months ago contained exactly the knowledge I’m looking for right now.
- Knowledge someone else has organized helps shorten my own knowledge-seeking process.
- So maybe my knowledge could be helpful to someone else too!(I feel this strongly even as I write this)
TODO : Try writing at least one wiki document per week in the internal document database

✅ Take on challenging tasks

I’ve been doing only backend work for n years
- But now I’m wondering if there’s really nothing else I can try besides designing and implementing servers
- (An idea I borrowed from yesterday’s retrospective meeting) To step out of my comfort zone
But I’m not quite sure yet. Challenging tasks I can take on within the company
TODO: Look for challenging tasks (check internal sites, have coffee chats with leaders, etc.) -> Try to carry out a project

✅ Explore ways to boost productivity

The more I work, the more complex things get, so it inevitably takes a lot of time
- But I’m starting to feel that time is being wasted
Improving productivity means:
- Automating simple, repetitive tasks
- Reducing the number of steps in complex processes
TODO: Find and implement at least three productivity tools(whether through software or machinery)

✅ Have coffee chats with people from other departments, teams, and divisions within the company

The company occasionally explains the big picture, but if you want to dig deeper into it, I believe you need to listen to what other members have to say
The people doing the work know it best -> If you ask them questions, they’ll likely give you good answers
TODO: Try requesting a coffee chat at least once a month with people not only from our department but also from other business units,

other teams, and other departments

✅ Writing a diary

I’ve lived such a fun life this year that I regret not keeping a diary, so I want to try it next year
Since the weekly retrospectives (Memo-re activities) I did in the first half of the year were quite helpful, I should definitely give this a try
No need to make it elaborate. My goal is to focus on the facts of the day and my feelings (insights)
TODO: Write 7 times a week, aiming for at least 2 lines (fact + feeling)

✅ Do the studying I’ve been wanting to do

Study English
- I think the more languages you know, the better (even if we’re in the age of AI)
- Come to think of it, one of the life goals I set in my 20s was 6개 국어하기, but right now I can only speak Korean lol;;
- TODO: Get an OPIC AL score; practice speaking with GPT to achieve this
Study AI
- I dabbled in it briefly in the past, but I don’t want to stop there, so I want to study it again
- I’m not sure of the exact method yet, but at yesterday’s reflection meeting, I was advised to start by “deciding how I want to use AI and why I want to study it” -> So I asked for book recommendations
- TODO: Read AI Truth and The Age of AGI in full, then write a book review
Reading
- Even if it doesn’t quite fall under the category of “studying,” I’m adding it to the “Study” category because I want to make reading a habit and internalize knowledge and insights.
- TODO: Read at least one book per month

✅ Setting Mid-to-Long-Term Goals

I feel the need to organize what I want to achieve before I turn 40
When I think about it, n years go by pretty quickly (and time passes even faster as I get older), so without a benchmark, I feel like I’ll just end up wasting time.
- Let’s set a goal based on the point I want to reach (an image of the person I want to become)
TODO: Find a goal-setting template, fill it out, and use it to determine annual action items

✅ Maintain the habit of writing blog posts

I restarted my blog this year through the "Gleotto" challenge, and it would be such a waste to stop writing just because the challenge is over
Writing: It’s about conveying information, expressing my thoughts, and helping others
- Recently, while participating in Geul-tto, I met people who read and enjoyed my posts
  - The fact that my writing has helped someone serves as another source of motivation for me
TODO: Write technical posts 1–2 times a month, or more, just like I did for Geul-tto

✅ Finding Romance

I was starting to feel like I was turning into a robot, but I think working on this project has helped me become a bit more soft-hearted again
I hope to keep finding and acting on the small but beautiful things in life(Romance!!)
TODO: Keep working on the project as much as possible (even if I take breaks here and there when it gets tough)

✅ Exercise

By the beginning of this year, I had lost over 10 kg, regaining both my physical and mental health
- (An idea I borrowed from yesterday’s retrospective) When I exercise, my mind clears of distractions, and I focus solely on my stamina and muscles, which has the effect of simplifying my thoughts
Don’t overexert yourself -> It’ll just lead to injury
Running is really a pain, but I started because I figured I’d get there faster if I ran from home to the lake park, so let’s give it another shot
- But seeing the times of people who are good at it, I shouldn’t push myself too hard; I think just running at my own pace will be enough exercise
TODO: Try running in earnest in 2025

In Closing 🤗

What I realized while reflecting on this year is that I truly lived my life to the fullest and achieved what I set out to do.
Toward the end of 2023—one of the few years in my life where I felt stagnant—I thought, “In 2024, I want to meet lots of new people and live a life doing what I’ve always wanted to do,”

and live the way I want to," and I even set some action items. I also realized firsthand that what you say out loud usually comes true. So, I could confidently say that if I had to summarize this past year in one sentence, it would be '나의 아이덴티티를 다시 찾아가는 여정의 2024년'.

After reflecting on the year, one question arose: “What am I living for?” Simply saying that I was driven by an immediate desire to do things wasn’t enough to answer that question. However, while chatting with people at a retrospective meeting, a chain of memories helped me recall the answer.

I remember being deeply moved by a post shared by a department head from another division at my company earlier this year (in February).

This made me wish for a level-up in both myself and my surroundings, so I shared my thoughts in the comments. Yes, I’ve always hoped that not only myself but also this society would become more advanced. That’s why I felt that while I need to change my surroundings, I also need to do better myself—in other words, I need to become a valuable person. And I think that this can only be achieved once I’ve gained countless experiences and refined my philosophy.That thought seems to be what drove me to work diligently throughout this past year.

2024 was a satisfying year. I hope to live a more proactive life in 2025 and that by the end of 2025, I’ll be able to describe another year of satisfaction.