A Brief History
I was born and raised in Vernal, Utah; a semi-rural area in northeastern Utah. I was always considered “the smart kid” throughout my schooling, and after completing 7th grade, I switched to online schooling for the remainder of my education. This proved a welcome change, allowing me to study more engaging material than I had previously. I was also able to pursue personal interests due to the more flexible schedule. It was during this time that I taught myself my first programming language: Python. I wrote a few complete applications in Python, such as a multiplayer card game, as well as an application that provided implementations of a number of classical cryptography algorithms (including the World War II German Enigma Machine).
I was involved with the Boy Scouts of America and the Order of the Arrow in my teenage years. I enjoyed learning the practical skills these organizations taught. I spent four summers working at a camp for the Boy Scouts, where I was involved in teaching younger boys. I both taught and helped teach many classes over those four years, from STEM related classes such as Electronics, Radio, and Chemistry, to more traditional scouting classes such as Leatherworking and Archeology.
After my graduation in 2014, I spent 2 years in Eastern Washington serving as a missionary. After returning home, I got a part-time job working as a computer technician. I also began attending school at Utah State University. Over time, my job morphed into a full-time job, with a number of additional responsibilities including becoming the senior technician, as well as singlehandedly doing all the website and software development work for the company, and managing the web servers. I switched schools to Western Governor’s University, favoring it for its online curriculum that allowed me to pursue my education while working full-time. I recently graduated, and am now looking for a higher paying job so I can have enough income to start the next phase of my life.
Hobbies & Interests
Naturally, I’ve always had a fondness for science and technology. I’m not terribly picky about my science, enjoying subjects such as chemistry, physics, and engineering. However, if I had to choose only one form of science, it would be computer science. Whether it be programming, tweaking my Linux system, or goofing around with a Raspberry Pi, I thoroughly enjoy tinkering with computers.
In addition to science and technology, I also enjoy studying history, folklore, and mythology. I’ve also always been a big fantasy reader. From Harry Potter in my childhood, to the works of Brandon Sanderson today, I’ve always been captivated by magical worlds. As a child, I always dreamed of growing up to become an author. Though life took a different turn than I had thought as a child, I still keep that alive as a small hobby on the side.
When I want to take a load off and relax, I enjoy spending time in the mountains, camping and hiking and enjoying the beautiful mountain views of Utah.
Plans, Hopes, and Dreams
Throughout the course of both my work and my education, I have traversed an array [<– lame programmer pun intended] of different potential paths in the technology industry, and I have learned the things I enjoy, as well as the things I do not. I have studied everything from in-the-trenches subjects like C++ and Java, to managerial subjects like project management and communications. I’ve gone from deep technical subjects like operating systems, to high-level subjects like Python scripting, software testing and QA, and user interface design. I’ve done IT work, and I’ve done full-stack web development.
Of these things, the ones I’ve enjoyed most are the serious programming paths. I’ve always preferred the back-end when doing web development. Moreover, complex software like databases, game engines, and operating systems still fascinate me, and I’d love the chance to advance my knowledge and get into these types of software. I’ve also been studying the facinating Rust programming language on the side, and would love to get some real-world experience with that.
By contrast, the things I’ve enjoyed least through this journey have been things such as project management, user interface design, and IT support. Also printers; good grief I hate printers so much…
Due to the freedom and flexibility it gives me as a user, I’m a fan of open source software, and would love a job that allows me to spend some time there. While I do not expect to work on exclusively open source software, I like to idea of relying on, and occasionally contributing back to, open source libraries and projects. I’ve dabbled a little in open source contribution before, both personally and at work, though I thus far haven’t had an abundance of time in either to contribute too much.