As we race towards the end of the year, what could be my last update before I lean back into my chair, switch that electric blanket on, and enjoy the flash of the Christmas lights? I often ask myself, what have I got to show for 365 days worth of living?

Does it even matter to evaluate your year?

I am unsure if I’ve done this before, so I’ll try writing about the year and see what happened—personal (as much as I want to share) and work-wise. It won’t be neat, pretty, or in order, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Personal: it’s been a shit year; so much has happened, which has been both unfair or just unexpected to those it happened to. While I won’t go into much about this, it rocked my family to its core and affected us all - I do not want to relive it again.

Looking at the positives, spending way more time with the kids as my career choice/direction has allowed, has been a complete joy. Seeing my 3-year-old go from a quiet and, dare I say—level-headed kid to a mini-me has been spectacular. I’m sure my wife doesn’t think this, but he’s now a comedy genius who feels comfortable dancing with no music on. My daughter has won so many awards in swimming; it has been a great highlight - going from Gold awards to Swimmers Swimmer of the Year. That’s all on her, and she’s earned it with hard work, dedication, and consistently showing up.

The wife—wow, her business is going up and up (she still can’t handle anything technology-based), but she knows how to start, build, and grow a business, which has been so interesting to see from the side. We do work together on it, and it’s been fun in places, but teaching her how to build emails, update her website, and do other general things you need a computer for has been a process I wasn’t ready for. I’ve learned the value of social media (hence me posting more on LinkedIn), and I’ve seen the value of prepping launches (part of that with my work usually has a dedicated team)

Anyway, the positives were there, and it was easy to find them, but this year has a shadow.

Workwise: It’s been a wild one. I’ve done a ton, learned a ton, worked even more than a ton, and met so many amazing people on the way that… dare I say I call them friends—the kind of friends you’d have a beer with and a sausage roll.

In recent years, I’ve almost exclusively been in the public sector, working on the kind of roles you’d expect as a contractor. The Financial Conduct Authority appeared on my radar, and BOOOOOOOM, I found myself working on inventing and implementing a Design System, and I bloody loved it.
Working alongside Axiologik, with the heavy hitters Simon, Tony, and Neil, it was great to see and run a project in the mix, a piece of work so needed and wanted by many inside a company that is on the verge of changing how it works internally (design wise). I saw brilliant client stakeholder management and delivery and the skills of “making a company’s investment count.” This project was a massive highlight of the year, and these colleagues I know I’ll (un)fortunately be linked with you forever, primarily due to a WhatsApp group where we share motivational quotes and cooking recipes…

Next up, another that came from a recommendation (thanks friends!), I ended up at AstraZeneca; initially, it would be 3 months, and it turned into a solid 10! I enjoyed this one, but I’m sad it ended (but that’s more to do with a company restructuring). I’ve never worked at a more innovative place with bright, smart eggs. The project was so interesting. We invented and implemented a user interface for an innovative product centring around getting AI into the business without taking the place of human interaction, providing a complimentary service often labelled as a “work buddy.” I’m glad I did this one, as I do believe AI will be in the workplace sooner than later, and if used properly and safely, it can be a work buddy (it’s certainly not good or emotional enough to be a replacement).

Bobbin and Bumble, which is forever bubbling away, is on the cusp of doing great things with the website—adding character and flavour where it’s dearly lacking. We’ve had SEO wins, taken stock control seriously, been consistent with socials, etc. I can’t claim many of these wins; the real cook in the kitchen is Emma!

And now, where do I find myself? It’s December, my contract is running around, and I’m tired, I’ve taken the least holiday I’ve ever taken (I think it’s around 7-14 days).

A lot of people have asked if I’m available, and that feeling of being wanted is lovely (especially during a tricky market), but I would like to return to Government work. I feel I am best there. The challenges are the ones I enjoy; the people are interesting, and the work lights something inside.