Introduction

I graduated in February 2023. I started my first job in August 2023 and resigned in September 2024. In between, from November 2023 to April 2024, I participated in the 9th session of 글또 and am now starting the 10th session.

Throughout this journey, I’ve encountered numerous concerns involving school, work, 글또, clubs, coffee chats, and many people associated with them. Reflecting on my emotions and thoughts during this time, I contemplate how to spend the upcoming six months in the 10th session of 글또.

Beginning of the 10th Session of 글또

I joined the 9th session of 글또 last year upon a friend's recommendation. I submitted all my writings without any passes and participated in many coffee chats. I gained significant insights from presentations shared during class meetings and from other participants' writings (though I regrettably couldn’t read as many as I would have liked). I have many fond memories from this experience.

A few months ago, I met with some individuals from the 9th session again over coffee chat. Naturally, I was asked, “Are you participating in the 10th session?” Until then, I hadn’t given it much thought, but upon hearing the question, I instinctively responded, “Of course, I will join the 10th session!” This reflects how meaningful the activity was and how wonderful the people were.

Additionally, I invest significant effort in maintaining my blog, so enhancing it through 글또 would be advantageous! Since I've resigned, it’s also a great time to write more.

As I embark on this new term, I make a commitment. I felt that although I put in effort during the last session, my endeavors felt a bit scattered. This time, I aim to act with more thought. Furthermore, someone in 글또 mentioned that writing a commitment piece can aid in the writing process!

Commitment - Depth Over Breadth

If I were to summarize my commitment for this period of 글또 in one phrase, it would be depth over breadth.

Regarding People

In the previous session, I participated in numerous coffee chats. In retrospect, as my workplace and affiliations didn’t provide a complete sense of belonging, I sought connections elsewhere. Regardless of the reason, I had the opportunity to meet many remarkable individuals.

I was able to hear various personal stories and confront my thoughts against others’. Many participants offered deeper insights or different perspectives on struggles I had faced. Everyone fights their own battles, and those I met during coffee chats willingly shared their experiences with me.

However, I realized that simply meeting a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily yield any substantial gain for me. Since I officially had the highest number of coffee chats, I didn’t think it was because I hadn’t engaged enough. I sought to know a few individuals well rather than many superficially. I also recognized that my desire was to understand others more than to focus on myself.

Of course, I wouldn’t have made this realization without the numerous meetings I had, so I don’t feel that those encounters were in vain, though I do wish I had understood this concept earlier.

Meeting many people is indeed a good thing. Yet, like everything in life, it comes with trade-offs.

Reflecting on the period where I had numerous coffee chats, I sometimes found myself engaging in mechanical questions and answers. It’s clear that was still an improvement over not having those interactions at all. However, I felt it would be a waste to allow anyone I met—no matter how often—to slip away through similar repetitive exchanges.

I also recognize my interpersonal skills are limited. Thus, the more people I meet, the less depth my relationships can achieve. While I hope for meaningful encounters, it often appears unavoidable that the majority of them turn out to be one-time connections. Consequently, in most coffee chats, I found myself reflecting more upon the image and thoughts of the other person rather than the individual themselves.

This time, I will naturally engage in a sufficient number of coffee chats, but I will strive for deeper conversations. I will focus more on embracing others rather than centering on myself. Therefore, I plan to implement the following actions and set quantifiable goals.

• Before each coffee chat, read a minimum of three articles related to the individual’s life (unless private information restricts this).
• For each coffee chat, review/record the conversation and come up with at least one new question.
• Rather than merely sharing a meal or coffee, engage in a shared experience of enjoyment at least three times.
• Establish meaningful connections with at least three individuals I meet more than twice.

Regarding Writing

My primary goal is to submit all writings without passes. From the previous session, I discovered that crafting a piece that feels complete every two weeks is more challenging than anticipated. Therefore, I consider achieving at least that target as a primary success for this season.

Although it’s uncertain when I will secure my next job, I currently enjoy a relatively ample amount of free time compared to my time at the company. Hence, I plan to dedicate more time to writing.

I also aim to deepen the themes I explore in my writing. I conducted quite a deep dive in the previous session. I felt proud when others mentioned my ability to explore topics deeply. However, upon reflection, I ponder whether I concentrated too much on the act of deep diving itself.

I understand that seeing the whole forest isn't my strong suit. I excel at dissecting a single tree in meticulous detail. While delving deeply into subjects is beneficial, I wish to understand how the knowledge I dissect fits within a broader system—what roles it plays and how it relates to other concepts.

Moreover, as I write, I accumulate numerous bookmarked articles on related topics and tangential writings. I find these are often backlogged, so I plan to read and organize them. To facilitate this, I've created a "Read and Shared" channel within 글또.

The objectives arising from this include:

• Submit all writings without passes.
• Write more than three pieces that provide context and structure rather than mere conceptual deep dives (I consider pieces that stem from the same topic as a single contribution).
  • Currently, I think it might be good to write about Closures, asynchronous processing in JS, and the internal structure of React. Writing about network layers could be beneficial although I’m unsure if I could articulate it effectively. I hope to complete the JWT series as well.
  • Complete three unfinished writing topics that are still in my storage.
• Read and share articles in my "Read and Shared" channel at least three times a week.

Regarding the Blog

I plan to make some adjustments to my blog. I do not intend to change its fundamental functionalities but rather to add features. I believe having English content will be advantageous.

• Multilingual support (not just metadata, but also a UI that accommodates both Korean and English).
• Implement automatic translation through a plugin or CI/CD.
  • Parts that I've translated will be displayed, while others may show automatic translations from services like ChatGPT.
• Add a portfolio section to the blog domain.

Reflections

Like many, I ponder deeply on what to pursue in my career and life. Since I’m currently without a company affiliation, these thoughts arise even more frequently. What do I truly want to do? Which company should I join? Contemplating my direction often feels like navigating a fog with a dim light far fainter than a candle.

Complicated and convoluted code requires classification and simplification. In such a chaotic mental state, I believe formulating small commitments and recording them will yield significant meaning.

Reflecting on my previous 글또 experience, I focused broadly on expanding the width of “me.” Although I didn’t set that as an explicit goal, I can now recognize that was my aim. I invested considerable effort in deep diving within my writings, striving to create pieces that conveyed, “I have tackled something that no one has organized properly!” I explored various strategies to draw attention, engaging with many individuals. Beyond 글또, I also gave presentations, did translations, and aimed to document my development continuously.

However, I feel that concentrating on breadth hindered my ability to obtain what I truly desired. At times, I could not shake the feeling of fitting into clothes that didn’t quite fit. Thus, during this 10th session, I wish to adopt a more relaxed mindset. Rather than rushing ahead, I would like to leave meaningful footprints one step at a time.

Embracing Leisure

One spring day around March when I was working, a team member remarked during a scrum meeting, “The flowers are blooming beautifully today.” When I inquired where they had bloomed, I learned it was along a path I walked almost daily. Subsequently, upon visiting that place, I was delighted to see the flowers blooming. Despite having passed by them multiple times, I had never taken a moment to look up.

People often say it’s important to find happiness in the small things. While the presence of a flower isn’t essential, even amidst similar lives, finding the capacity to perceive more and to look up can lead to a broader understanding of our surroundings and, thus, begin our journey towards small happiness.

I realized that in my quest to become someone successful, recognized, and renowned, I often overlooked such moments, focusing too much on rapid progression. Unfortunately, I am not naturally a sprinter who can dash ahead faster than anyone else. I might not even possess the relentless determination of a tortoise that outpaces a hare over time. But does it really matter? Rushing ahead is not my only desire.

Why do I seek to excel and achieve recognition? For validation. But does that mean everyone has to acknowledge me? No, I only need those whom I hold dear by my side. So, why rush ahead so swiftly? I should strive to maintain a calm mindset, doing what I can while leaving deeper footprints around me.

• Cultivate a sense of tranquility. I am at a loss when trying to establish quantifiable goals.
  • Whenever I find myself thinking, “I must do this and that...,” I will consciously remind myself that moments spent living now are far more important than such arbitrary goals.