Hello, World!

Finding My Way to Software Development

My path to software development has been a winding one. Programming caught my interest early—I spent many hours coding as a teenager—but college led me down different paths as I explored music and philosophy. After graduation, law school seemed like the logical next step. I passed the bar and started practicing, but the 2008 market downturn prompted a serious rethink of my career path.

This twist of fate turned out to be fortunate. It led me back to programming, my early interest, where I landed a role as a full-stack developer at a small company. The work resonated with me immediately. After that experience, I went on to found and sell several small internet businesses, each one teaching me more about the technical challenges of building and maintaining software systems.

Learning Through Necessity

While my early programming experience gave me a foundation, running my own businesses pushed me to learn modern web development and system architecture. What started as maintaining and improving my own websites evolved into a deeper fascination with how systems work under the hood. Working alongside experienced developers showed me just how much depth there was to explore in software engineering.

In 2019, I decided to focus on software development full-time. The timing felt right to turn this growing technical interest into my primary focus.

The switch from Windows to Linux marked a significant point in my learning:

Moving to Linux as my daily driver
Learning basic system administration
Getting comfortable with the command line
Understanding more about how computers actually work

This wasn’t just about changing operating systems—it was about peeling back layers of abstraction to better understand the tools I use.

What Gets Me Excited

I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of learning and technology. It’s not just about building stuff—it’s about exploring ways to make those “aha!” moments more accessible to everyone. Here’s what keeps me up at night (in a good way):

Making Learning Click: You know that feeling when you’re in the zone, and everything just flows? I’m fascinated by the idea of tools that could help people find that state more often. It’s about reimagining learning from something we have to do into something we can’t wait to do.
Teaching AI New Tricks: I love seeing AI become more than just a smart search engine. I’m excited about the potential of tools that could make AI feel less like a black box and more like a research companion that actually gets what you’re trying to do.
Crafting Better Systems: There’s something beautiful about a system where everything just works. I’m constantly thinking about ways to make complex tech feel natural and intuitive, whether through better APIs, smarter automation, or more thoughtful interfaces.
Linux and Infrastructure: The more I dig into Linux and modern DevOps practices, the more fascinated I become with how everything fits together. It’s like solving a puzzle where each piece teaches you something new about how computers really work.
Growing Beyond Code: While I love diving deep into technical challenges, I’ve learned that the best solutions come from balancing the technical with the human. Whether it’s exploring music tech, spending time with family, or finding new ways to learn—it all feeds back into becoming a better builder.

What really drives me is seeing how all these pieces connect. I believe the best tools don’t just solve problems—they open up new possibilities. That’s what fascinates me: imagining and exploring systems that could help people think better, work smarter, and enjoy the process of discovery.

What’s Next

I’m continuing to learn and build in areas that interest me:

Making Linux tools more accessible
Streamlining development workflows
Creating practical AI applications
Building systems that help people learn technical concepts

There’s always more to learn, and I’m excited to keep sharing what I discover along the way.