drawing

Beginnings

It all started with APPLEsoft basic. My memories of programming involve white and grey. White, for the epoxy white coated wire shelves supporting the gray colored, Apple II GS which would become my very own engineering lab. I can still recall the resonate, vibrating sound the floppy drive made while it loaded my “IDE”.

My first program was tic-tac-toe. The second, “battle-cry”, was a space invaders style game with way more interesting power-ups. Talk about hands on learning! I was plotting weapons fire using the slope of a line which I had learned just minutes earlier in Advanced Trigonometry.

My life has taken many positive turns in Sales, Customer Service, and Management. However, entering into a development career is finishing what I started. It is coming home.

My Work

What am I working on and why?

Think about this question and the involuntary reaction inside yourself as you intuit the answer. You know, the slight uptake of perpetual dread as you trod on despite project timeline breakdowns and failing code. Or perhaps the slight ting of lightness/electricity as you realize you solved your code problem and your team just deployed a major fix. My work is to have more of the latter, less of the former.

My Vision

…has to do with aliveness.

Working on problems which are engaging with solutions not certain. It could be as varied as figuring out how to sell a car to another given a demanding user requirements or how a city can use software to help traffic move.

…has to do with engagement.

I want to be developed, not hand-held. I want my future employer to allow for me to contribute in unique and novel ways. I want to contribute by participating in code reviews and major feature sprints. I would like to use my voice to collaborate on software design decisions.

…has to do with balance.

Working to the nub seems like a normative way of being in the tech space. I want work which understands that best code originates from a life well lived. Living a good life involves a complex interchange but certainly includes time for fun and relaxation as well as time for dedicated, committed performance/accountability.

…has to do with connection.

We have more technology than any previous time. We can use big data to sell you marshmallows but have no understanding of how to stay connected to each other. I am interested in exploring the thin space where technology can connect and help us solve problems