What it is
firstyearin is a community of stories from people in their first year of something hard: first job, first city, first child, first founder year, first major career shift, or any other beginning that looks cleaner from the outside than it feels on the inside.
Why it exists
The first year of a major transition is often when people most need context, but most public narratives arrive only after the difficult part has been edited into a neat lesson. firstyearin is meant to preserve the messy middle while it is still useful to someone else.
Current direction
- Curated first-person essays and anonymous submissions
- Story categories around work, place, family, entrepreneurship, and identity
- Lightweight contributor flow for people who want to share without becoming creators
- A calm reading experience for people looking for signal, not advice theater
Stack
Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, Vercel
Sole engineer at Iterative (early-stage VC fund, SEA & South Asia), building data infrastructure and AI systems for investment operations. Founder of Fracxional — AI and data engineering education for enterprises and universities across Asia. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Southeast Asia.