When I came to my senses, it was already the last day of 2023.
Every year around the time I wrap up the year.. I make up my mind to definitely organize what happened that year and post it on my blog, but every time I come to my senses, it's usually just a lot of work.
So, starting this December, I decided to finally write and post this in advance.. Today, while writing the post, is December 29th. (As I was editing the text.. the 31st..)
Anyway.. looking back on this year, it really seems like a lot happened, so while looking forward to an even better 2024, I'd like to write down a few things I realized through the events of this year.
A year in which I came to realize that the center of Sunsun Studio is none other than 'myself'.
The start of 2023 for my personal business, "순순스튜디오", was very proactive. I started two new projects due to interesting opportunities and connections, and mobilized past connections to form a team after a long time, working passionately on development.
However, within just two months, two projects were dropped, and by the time spring was fully here, our team had to disband.
Ultimately, it wasn't due to my personal situation, but due to external factors..
One was due to the circumstances of the partner company we were working on the project with, and the other was due to the circumstances of the team member we had recruited to head the planning department for this project.
Ultimately, the project I had planned was brought down by external factors, and I had to spend quite a while feeling empty.
Actually, even now as I write this, the situation still has quite a lingering impact.. As I wrap up the year and think it over, I realize that ultimately, the biggest cause was "me".
It seems I am only now realizing the basic fact that projects that were bound to collapse due to external variables should not have been pursued from the start.
Looking back, similar things happened quite often in my life.. Now that I'm in my 40s, I think I'm finally starting to understand why that was a problem.
A professor I had known for a long time once told me this while we were having a drink of soju.
"I hope everyone you work with becomes a <Partner> who holds equal roles and value to you. However, that is not an opportunity that comes easily. "
Do you think your <Partner> is someone you will meet only once in your lifetime? For the most part, when working on a project, the people you work with are not <Partners>, but rather <Staff> whom you hire or assign tasks to out of necessity.
At the time, I didn't understand a word of it, but after going through the series of events I experienced this year, I realized that it was truly a story that was beneficial to me.
But at the same time, I had heard a similar story several times even 10 years ago.. Seeing that I'm only realizing this now... I feel a lot of reflection on myself.
Anyway, now that I have finally realized that I need to recognize and change the issues, I must ensure that such determination is properly reflected in 2024.
I resolve to become a more mature professional, focusing more on myself to ensure my time and plans are not wasted.
Where is my place in the family? - Wife's resignation and my role change
Life is truly unpredictable, wasn't it?
When the February, filled with the emptiness mentioned above, passed by.. a big event occurred in our house. It was my son entering kindergarten.
For others, this might just be a normal life event.. He was born during the COVID era and lived mainly at home. In our household, where his father worked mainly from home and his mother went to work, and with his mother-in-law's help with childcare, it was not easy for our son, who grew up in this environment, even from the time he started kindergarten.
Until then, while my role in childcare was significant, starting from the child's perspective upon entering kindergarten, the roles of father and mother began to clearly diverge in social life.
So naturally, my wife's role at work increased, and by the time summer passed, she made a big decision for the sake of our son's life.
Decided to take a break from the career path he has been pursuing since 2010.
After taking a leave of absence, his wife decided to resign and declared her life as a full-time homemaker, vowing to take responsibility for the most difficult parenting herself.
And my two shoulders, who had to shoulder the burden alone, became incredibly heavy.
At the same time, it seems the time has come to reduce the ambiguity that has lingered for the past few years regarding the roles of my wife and me, and to focus on our respective roles.
From a certain perspective, this seems quite related to the earlier story about focusing on "myself"..
Will I succeed in Role & Responsibility ( Role and Responsibility ) in 2024?
Long time no see, starting a lecture and the possibilities - Starting life as a session lecturer(?)
I think it was around the family summer vacation.
Just as my wife was deciding to resign after taking some leave, an offer for a university lecture came in after a long time.
Actually, the conditions were a bit demanding, so if it were in the past, I probably wouldn't have hesitated to refuse.
First, since the lecture venue was located in Wonju, I had to commute back and forth for 4~5 hours, and since there were two major courses totaling three hours a day, it was quite a burden.
Also, since I didn't organize or create the lecture title or content myself, but rather a professor who was originally supposed to teach the class contacted me after their circumstances changed and they couldn't teach, so I had to urgently find a replacement.. I had to hastily study the lecture content and organize it, which was a quite.. difficult condition.
However, based on the points mentioned above, I realized that I needed a change for my career, and at the same time for my family. At the same time, while watching my son's life, I also developed curiosity and interest in Korea's education curriculum, so I accepted the offer.
At the end of the semester, let's look back on the year.. As expected, it wasn't easy. Since the time before and after the lectures was deleted, I ended up going to the 1-day lecture every week, but it was a forced march where I had to invest almost 3~4 days of time.
Of course, this content was likely even more difficult given that I lacked experience and was attempting to complete two major courses for the first time.. It was much more difficult and grueling than I had expected.
However, I also gained a lot, the biggest being that I was able to grasp my "theme".
Since I have loved exploring knowledge since the past and liked helping amateurs or students, I lived thinking that one day I would retire or when an opportunity came, I would stand on the podium to spread knowledge.
However, after experiencing it by chance, I realized that without preparation, it would be a mess.. I thought that I need to study and prepare so that even if an opportunity comes later, I will be able to do it.. I thought so.
At the same time, I felt respect for the many professors and instructors teaching students on the podium, and realized once again how amazing the experts in each field are.
Also, I am glad that I was able to realize this even now. With this thought, I wanted to prepare for recognized study and a degree in a 'regular curriculum' for the first time in a long while.
Of course, regrettably, unable to decide on what exactly I want to do, which is an extension of my thoughts over the last decade... I didn't challenge myself with a master's degree this year either, but I definitely want to challenge myself to get a degree or write a paper by taking time out in 2024.
Although I am not sure if I will continue lecturing in 2024.. In any case, based on this experience, I hope to prepare well so that I can properly transmit and receive recognition for the experience and knowledge I have gained from students and others, even if it is later.
It seems like the time has come to distinguish between work and hobbies.
My biggest characteristic is that I have really experienced a wide variety of fields in a shallow and broad way.
This is something like my identity that I've been pursuing since I was young.. As I have experienced a lot, I know how to do many things, so sometimes I receive the evaluation of being capable, but if I make a mistake, I could become a 'loser' who can't do anything properly, so I have always been cautious, thinking about it, and focusing only on areas where I can gain professionalism.
That year, another major "temptation" arose for me..
It's been a while since I've been completely immersed in my 3D printer.
In the first half of 2023, I learned about the X1C printer from the company 'Bamboolap' through an acquaintance, and started using the K1 printer from 'Creativity' from the early days, which allowed me to glimpse the potential of the high-speed printing market starting in 2023. From June, I was really ignited after a long time, and I think I spent a lot of time printing with the printer.
Even so, I had spent a lot of time on printers in the past, and perhaps because I am still trying my best, I was able to create content in a relatively short amount of time. Through this blog, I also shared various information, and I created a dedicated YouTube channel for printing and ran it for about three months. Thanks to many people loving it, I was able to grow it enough to apply for monetization.
However, extending on the points mentioned above, whether I can make this activity my profession or job is a part that I seriously contemplate.
Starting with the answer, I think it's difficult right now.
Of course, the various activities I have been doing are all connected in the realm of "creation," but when I say that by teaching at the university I mentioned above, I am generalizing my experience and conveying it to others as "knowledge".. it seems there is still a long way to go.
In that sense, I view these printing experiences and activities as a direction where I still need to study more, build expertise, and make further efforts.
Of course, if there are interesting opportunities along the way, I will work on projects and engage in revenue-generating activities, but for now, I think it is best to view this as still being within the realm of a hobby.
Turning Point of Life: 2024
In many ways, 2024 looks like it will be a turning point for me.
No, there shouldn't be no change.. There were various stories and events that couldn't fit into the article, but even just summarizing a few things seems to help me organize my thoughts again.
For example, one incident from early in the year: as my child started kindergarten, my wife naturally began spending more time having coffee with the other mothers, and they started talking about their husbands...
That day, when my wife returned home, she said this.
' I.. I can't explain what my brother does. '
Here we go..
Yes, I think I'm living a good life and having fun, but... on the contrary, I was living a life that was hard to put into words.
' So I just do what I want to live~~ That's what I said.'
I was truly grateful to my wife for understanding my life and speaking to me like this. But as time passed and on the last day of this year, while I was making a vow for a new life next year.. I thought I should live a life where I can easily talk about what I will be doing next year.
For the sake of my experience, and for the sake of my family
Most of all, for myself as well
I need to strive to make 2024 a year for myself.