Here you will find further information about myself. This includes everything, at least that I would like to share :).
Like many as a child I had aspirations to become something other than a software engineer. I thought becoming a lawyer would be a great idea! As I grew older it became clear such a role was not desirable. Duringg my youth I had access to older hardware and was introduced to very early versions of RedHat. After a lot of broken installations and still enjoying the learning process of setting up linux servers, I knew the direction to go was towards IT.
Fast forward years later and such a career has allowed me to be present for every moment of my children's lives. Not only have I been able to spend a lot of time with my family, this career path has enabled plenty of time for personal interests. I enjoy golfing and fishing. The work life balance has provided me with enough time for both.
This part of my life began earlier than the computer industry as I have always acted professionally. Whether it was while washing dishes or moving rock and trimming trees. Though what is considered professional by most for me started with the computer industry. I completed high school a year early to study the system adminstration side of computers. After a little over a year I began my career with the same group of people that I have been with for a large portion of my career.
The start of it all came when a small company contacted me to be their sole system administrator. This was great for me as a start. It was unnerving for the interview, but once work began I realized how great the people were and how much I could learn. After solving a lot of issues that had been present when joining (ancient servers and networks, etc.), I decided to make a change and gave my notice. After a few months for reasons other than my own, I contacted the company asking if my position was still available. The answer was "No, but I would like you to come work for us as a software engineer". While a suprise to me I accepted in order to learn more. This led to a new era of computers for me. Years later I cannot imagine going back.
My career has placed me in the postion to provide employment to others as well as mentor junior engineers into strong contributors. It has given me the opportunity to work with people all over the world. I have been part of the first in companies, and played most of the roles. I have worked for a small company, a large corporation, a start-up and now as an independent contractor. I have enjoyed all of these roles. I was able to travel around the country as well as out of country a couple of times. I have met many great people from top to bottom.