The whole point of Opportune October is to adopt a new mindset, a new overall approach to my goals and tasks – to surrender to opportunities and energy that might emerge, whatever it may be.

Here’s the low-down:

An unexpected (and therefore scary) learning opportunity

• I started the month building a REST API in under an hour, using Strapi. This previously took me 2-3 weeks to master in Rails! And the barrier to entry was low as Strapi was almost like a low-code API builder (even though it’s commonly known as a headless CMS). But expectedly, soon enough I hit the nocode/low-code limits and had to learn the underlying tech – Node.js, Bookshelf.js, Knex.js, and even writing raw SQL queries for SQLite and PostgreSQL! I was undecided for a few days, whether I should ditch Rails and pick up Node, or stay. Whined a bit, but now I’m just going with learning something new and seeing what happens. Side bonus this month – I completed my proudest streak ever this month, #100daysofcode!

Going with the flow for business

• Keto List continues to grow on its own, am starting on more social media marketing now, earned $350 from ads this in Oct! Delivered my first ads on social media (I feel like a marketing agency now), and adding a slider for more banner ads.
• Got my first customer testimonial for a side biz idea for Carrd that I haven’t even set up yet! But definitely feeling excited about it based on the reception: “Thank you so much for all your help and assistance throughout the process. I will definitely like working with you again in the future. The Carrd platform is amazing but can be a little limiting in some aspects. It was great that I could let you know what my needs are and that you made it happen in a blink of an eye. Thank you so much for that. My recommendation for you will be strong and will work with you again. I also believe that you have a great thing going and will make a huge success of it! - Aldert Allie Booysen, litesite.co.za
• Went with a new opportunity that came from a LinkedIn contact, and gave my first ever Zoom talk about design thinking to a bunch of government officers. Must experiment more using LinkedIn.

Continuing opportunities in tech for good

• Responding to new opportunities for help Call Home SG – created 2 documentation sites (in English and Bengali) for them to manage tech support 
• Got my first patron for my yet-to-be-launched tech for good patronage on Buy Me A Coffee to pay for domains and servers for more such work!

Squeezing moments for health & wellness

• Regular tiny workouts x 3 throughout the day, feeling better and less sedentary
• Changed my writing to post-lunch, so that I have focused family time at night 

True to form for Opportune October, I went with so many random and serendipitous opportunities this month. Not easy for a control freak like me, but getting the hang of it.

Onwards to November!