I started 2015 with strong types — and ended with none.

Throughout the first half of 2015, I was a Java programmer. I favored tightly-coupled object-oriented hierarchies and loved abstraction — and now? Not so much. By May I had written my largest project yet, with Github reporting 99 commits and 14,000 lines of written code. I was proud, but also tired and easily distracted. My distraction and desire to learn a new language led me down unfamiliar paths… Don’t tell the JVM, but I started writing Node.

I felt like a traveler lost at sea.

In Java, I never had to spend hours figuring out why a query returned an error every time, just to figure out that I accidentally typed (rows, err) instead of (err, rows). Though, in retrospect, some form of linting or static analysis may have saved me from situations like these, it was a completely new experience to a Node beginner.

Despite the rough entrance to an unknown paradigm, I soon became engulfed. Javascript felt alive, whereas Java felt stagnant.

In Javascript, I rediscovered a passion for programming and community. In Java, a pattern of creation with no audience became commonplace. Programming felt lonely and un-innovative.

In Javascript, I have idols. Whether it is the feeling of defeat saved by an inspirational Dan Abramov tweet, or setting an alarm to wake up and watch Kent C. Dodds’ podcast with Brian Lonsdorf, Javascript has continually made me feel more connected, passionate, and empowered than any other language or community.

2015 was transformative because of this community. I shifted from aspiring to obtain a seemingly lonely future in desktop development, to counting down the days until college when I can apply for a Facebook internship and help build amazing tools such as React, Immutable, React Native, and whatever the next big tool is.

In 2016, I hope to move further by not only learning more about Javascript and its tools, but also participating in the community. I hope to met new idols, new mentors, and keep creating new things. In addition, I hope to make my first contribution to open source, and am making that one of my personal goals for 2016.

I can’t wait to grow with the Javascript community and help contribute to the tools of tomorrow. With a new year ahead, and a seemingly bright beginning, what are you all looking forward to in the Javascript community and beyond?