2 Years of Linux (and other things)
I was browsing through my pictures today, and realized that around this time two years ago, I first installed linux. A relatively insignificant thing, but for me, it became the catalyst for many things to follow. Fast forward to now, and I am a CS student, I have at least one tech certification, and I am, at least a little bit more capable than two years past me. I write this post on a thinkpad (another new hobby) running openBSD. I will build the site with hugo, and send it to my openBSD server using rsync and ssh. Nothing particularly impressive, but nothing I knew how to do two years ago when I was struggling to install artix on my old gaming pc. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my progress and create a bookmark in my life for future updates.
New Years in July?
This time of year is rather significant for me. Two years ago of course was when I first got into linux, which eventually pushed me down the path of learning “tech”. I also had a significant mental shift at this time. I went from simply moving through life with no real goals, to gaining a new perspective on the value of learning. I think it started when I realized that this new hobby, linux, could be the start of an actual career. I had a new thirst for knowledge and began trying to find ways to learn. Mostly this education came from simply experimenting with linux. I started learning how to configure things, tried out different distros, and set up my own personal servers. Eventually it expanded to more definitive things like, getting my compTIA A+ certification, and learning a little web development through the odin project. Finally it culminated in me one year after first installing linux (now 2023), signing up to pursue a BS in computer science from WGU.
There were also some major personal milestones in this time. Probably most significant, was that on June 30th, 2023, I got married! In fact, as of this post, I am just past my one year aniversary. Me and my wife also moved in together at the same time, and are now starting our second year of married life together. With all of these significant events happening around the same time every year, I like to think of it as my personal new years. The marker for when a year has passed since the last significant milestone.
So what have I done?
Let’s make a nice list of all the major events of the past two years! Let me look up how to do that in markdown…. ah yes.
- First Installed Linux! (sometime in early summer 2022)
- Completed the CompTIA A+ certification (June 24th, 2023)
- Got Married and Moved!! (June 30th, 2023)
- Started at WGU (August 1st, 2023)
- Adopted Our Cats :P (September 23rd, 2023)
Since then it has been rather routine of studying, growing, learning, and building. Looking back I can see how much knowledge I’ve gained. I want to continue making these progress updates as a way to see for myself how much has happened, and understand my growth. I still have a long way to go, and am always learning new things. In fact this is only my second time really using markdown! Let’s see what year three can bring!
Thanks for reading!