Jake Przespo

The consensus was that 2011 was pretty crappy overall. As for me, I thought it was pretty damn good. I (re)met an amazing girl, started an incredible new job, and moved to one of the greatest cities in the world. However, I do think 2012 could be even better.

Mission Accomplished

Every time I do one of these posts, I go back and read what I promised to accomplish during the year. I’m pleased to say that I did almost all of them.

I traveled like I said I wanted to. Right before I started my new job, I finally attended one of the largest conferences in the US, SXSW. I had a blast. It was pretty cool to meet all of the familiar faces I see on Twitter everyday and to share a few beers with them. Not to mention the incredible weather and the mouth-watering food the south has to offer. I have to say though, it isn’t necessary to buy a badge. I ended up spending more time hanging out with friends and new acquaintances than I did at sessions. The ones I did go to were great, don’t get me wrong, but I personally wouldn’t get a badge if I went again.

I was also lucky enough to go on my first trip to Europe with Ingrid, my good friend Chris, and his girlfriend, Elisa. Our first stop was Barcelona where Elisa is originally from. Me being as ignorant as I am about the world outside of upstate NY, it was mind-blowing. It was so refreshing to visit a place where most people only get to see in the movies. The way the city was built fascinated me. Everything was beautiful.

We then flew to Rome, Italy, a place I never would have thought I’d get a chance to visit. Everything about the city was breathtaking. The architecture, the food, the wine, the art; it all felt surreal. Me being partly italian, it was an honor to see where generations of my family came from.

Last year I said I wanted to learn more in 2011. I’d say that was pretty successful as well. In the 9 months that I’ve been at Skillshare, I’ve learned so much about design, business, start-ups, and asian food. It’s been one of the best rides of my life so far.

Breakout Year

I, along with many others, think that 2012 will be a huge breakout year for education. It’s only January and there already has been some incredible advancements. Khan Academy is killing it, a new public school was created to teach kids programming, and we’re working on a bunch of great things too. It’s amazing to finally see education gain some attention with talented people all trying to make it better.

Just like 2011, I’ll be pushing myself to keep learning too. I’ve started searching for a mentor, I’ll be reading more and co-creating a book club, and I’ve got a few side project ideas I’ll be working on with our other designer and new friend, Andrew.

I’m looking forward to an exciting year!