2024

Published on Jan 1, 2025, filed under misc (feed). (Share this on Mastodon or Bluesky?)

2024 is over! Happy new year.

Here’s my annual professional and personal retrospective. It was a weirdly massive year! Let’s go:

Professionally

In December 2023, Beatriz and I decided to leave Germany, to Spain, which included quitting at our workplaces. In February 2024, I could finally inform my team, my manager, the company. End of March, I then left Miro (after briefly looking into options to stay, taking on a different team).

This was a major event, though I must say I left with mixed feelings. While I believe in Miro’s team and product, I had soon been concerned about Miro’s firing as quickly as they had hired (a few weeks into my tenure, in 2023, Miro let 7% of the people go, followed by even more layoffs later in 2024), and I left entirely disappointed by some of my closest peers. It was at Miro where I learned to double-check whether someone is interested in your success (especially when you support theirs). I was naive believing people were working with me as I worked with them—which actually made the successes we had in Miro Accessibility even bigger.

In May, I published the fifth title of my HTML minimalism and optimization ebook series, Upgrade Your HTML V. I was excited to welcome Stephanie Eckles as the writer of the foreword (this is turning into a little surprise with each edition!), and generally happy to continue after there had been a bump in the yearly schedule, and no edition in 2023. (2025, however, there should be Upgrade Your HTML VI. Get notified once it’s available!)

Once the relocation dust had settled and I released Upgrade Your HTML V, I started working on two “operations” to sharpen my profile for the next career steps: One was to start learning for aPHR certification (Associate Professional in Human Resources), after having recognized how many managers lack professional training in this area (myself included). The second one was to evaluate AI tooling for its use in the SDLC and to make continuous (and, hopefully, intelligent) use of AI in my technical work. aPHR certification hasn’t been as critical as really deep understanding of where and how to make most effective use of AI, so while I expect to do my certification in Q1 2025, I’ve implemented a lot of projects using AI, and built a good understanding of how organizations can maximize its use. (I’ve shared early thinking and tips in my SitePoint article, 8 AI Tips for Web Developers.)

In August, I published Rote Learning HTML & CSS, a free ebook that provides those looking for a complement to their knowledge of HTML and CSS with an excellent (but extremely boring) overview. It was work to produce this title, but it’s nothing quite original (hence free).

In September, I reached an important milestone with Frontend Dogma, crossing the 10,000 entries mark. This was significant in many ways: Reaching that many entries was made easier because I opened Frontend Dogma to material from all times (not just from 2020 on), essentially expanding Frontend Dogma from a web development news source to a growing web development archive. The magic number symbolized the ambition behind Frontend Dogma, and its growth (in January, the site was at 5,000 entries—today, it’s at more than 12,000!). And it stands for a lot more improvements for frontend specialists (including options to vouch for their sites, and companies to hire their skills). Frontend Dogma and its subproject, the WebGlossary.info tech glossary, provide uniquely detailed views at web development, and their value to the field is only to increase.

As the remote labor market for managers has been extremely difficult throughout the year, I’ve applied to a large number and spoken to a small number of companies, and yet haven’t signed anywhere. Apart from investing in HR and AI, I’ve been optimizing and growing my own projects, particularly meiert.com, Frontend Dogma, and WebGlossary.info. Hard work for which I have a clear vision, but I’m looking forward to joining a company again that aligns with my values. If you know one that could use an empathetic, versatile, continuous-progress manager like me (who, if excellent matches, is also open to select IC roles), tell me or just refer my CV (PDF)! (Thanks!)

Statistics

• Code contributions made: 15,693 ↑ (yes! I code a bit)
• Articles published: 76 ↑
• Articles discarded: 13 ↑
• Books read: 93 ↗ (favorites)
• Books published: 2 →

Personally

As indicated above, one highlight was our move to Spain. It fell on me (and made sense for me) to organize it from the moment we decided to relocate. I consider the move to be one of my greatest project management successes after organizing leaving the U.S. and traveling the world for 18 months, without problems, back in 2013–2015. We did experience some hiccups, but these were outside of our control, and we did manage them in the end (for our moving company, that meant us asking a lawyer friend to wrap up the case for us).

(To pause here, this does mean that we actually moved to Spain! For me, it’s the fifth country I’ve been living in, and—it’s different once again. I might write a bit about our life and our experience here in Galicia.)

A small adventure to call out was a road trip in June/July that unfortunately, I had to do solo. What I did was take our car, and then drive all the way from Pontevedra up to Hamburg (via France, Belgium, and the Netherlands), and then back again (via Austria, Italy, and France). 7 countries and 6,700 kilometers in 16 days. An epic trip—and one that I won’t do again like this: Although it was amazing to see that much of Europe before and after reuniting with friends and family, such a trip is extremely exhausting, expensive, and unsustainable.

Now, in September, Beatriz and I experienced our biggest event of 2024, and perhaps our lives: The birth of our first child. And that’s almost all I’m going to share here! 👼

With the year I also connect 1) the re-election of an insurrectionist and convicted criminal for president of the United States (which, deciding against that drama, had me unsubscribe and detox from all U.S. media for the time being, that is, probably for four years), 2) Israel’s genocide on the Palestinians, their large-scale destruction of civilian infrastructure and property, and their continued and extended violation of Palestinian and other nations’ territory, 3) the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, as well as, partially in consequence, 4) our complete failure to take decisive action against climate change, and to make sure everyone—no matter who and where—can have a good-quality life.

I know, who am I, yadda yadda, but here it goes (and you should make the same demands of others): I ask you, everyone, not to forget, and to stand up against, disempower, and bring to justice criminals, murderers, and warmongers. Let’s stand up and unite against any kind of dishonesty, hatred, and violence, and let’s stand up for respect, empathy, and support for one another. Where we stand in these matters is a decision we make, it defines who we are, and ignorance is neither improving our world nor our character.

Let’s get back to not confronting ourselves with values:

Statistics

• Diapers changed: just kidding
• Photos taken and kept: 1,514 →
• Films watched: 52 ↓ (favorite: The Gentlemen; terrible: Greenland)
• New specialty coffees tasted (at home): 47 → (favorite Spanish roaster so far: NOMAD)

❧ This was a sketch of “my” 2024. How was yours?

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve been working as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you’ve never heard of and companies you use every day, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)