In the beginning, there was a swamp, a hoe, and Jussi. Originally a large part of Finland was swamp and life were hard, but as Jussi worked on the swamp, it paid off eventually.
Interestingly you can still see the same pattern. You can always find a problem (your swamp) in which you apply a tool and determination. That seems to be the core of being a Finn and even entrepreneurship.
I found my swamp in late 2014 as I commented on Christian Alfoni's blog post about webpack. Since then a lot has changed, and no doubt will change still. The years since have been a period of personal growth, and I'm happy to announce that the efforts haven't gone unnoticed.
I was chosen as the Finnish Code Ambassador of 2017 by Blue Arrow Awards. It's an honorary title I carry with great pride. The win doesn't mean the work is over; maybe it has only just begun.
The contest itself is quite new, and it was arranged the second time in a row. Historically us Finns have been more of doers instead of tellers, but the culture appears to be changing.
The win wouldn't have been possible without you, the community. It's the interaction and constant feedback that keeps the effort living. I want to especially thank my patient editors Jesús Rodríguez, Pedr Browne, and Artem Sapegin for help during tough times.
There are still challenges ahead but it's recognition like this that tells you, you might be on the right track. I hope to grow the effort further and live to my new title of code ambassador. It could be my chance to put Finland on the map.
It's a win I consider more of a community win instead of a personal one. During this process, we helped a major web technology to emerge and perhaps we can go a bit further.