Software Engineering runs in my family. My dad was a Sonarman in the Navy in the 70s and 80s when computers were beginning to be installed on Navy ships. As an avid reader and lifelong learner, my dad knew quite a bit about a lot of things, so when the sailors who were meant to work on the computers didn’t know how to troubleshoot the new equipment, dad stepped in and was able to quickly learn how the computer worked based on his experience in other electronic systems. As a reward for a job well done, dad’s commanding officer then asked him to write the manual for the device.
Before I was in school, dad taught me how to read and do math, so when I started, even in private school I was way ahead of my class. I read books and taught myself to stay ahead, with a particular interest in science. By middle school I was reading books on quantum mechanics and astrophysics from names like Stephen Hawking and Brian Greene. My dream job was to be a particle physicist. I asked my dad teach me some programming, and I started using Ubuntu and built a website to host some of my favorite songs.
In high school I elected to take every science and programming class I could, including a robotics engineering class with a vocational program, which sent me to a state competition with SkillsUSA in which I placed 4th against well over 100 students in electronics specific testing. I was strongly leaning towards a career in robotics at this time, and considered applying for MIT.
However, after looking at the cost of college I decided to take a different route. I had a few scholarship options but not enough to pay a tuition. My dad made enough to disqualify me from pell grants, but not enough to provide me any assistance. A lifetime of debt didn’t seem worth it to me, so I started a music career instead. I joined a metal band and went on tour, went on to become a DJ, write soundtracks for a documentary and a mobile game, and then open a music venue.
While music became a passion it was a struggle to pay the bills and I kept a day job as an IT service technician. In 2019 however, it became apparent I needed to switch to a better career, so I took on mentorship from a friend who has worked as a Site Reliability Engineer for several FAANG companies, I took online courses, studying modern web development and DevOps, and in 2021 landed a role as an SRE at Sweetwater Sound. A perfect fit for a musician finding his way back to tech!
But that’s not the end of the story! As I continued to learn and grow in my career, I had to look out for better opportunities, and as AI began to take the world by storm, I found myself drawn to know how it worked. I studied the world of data and machine learning, and took on a Data Engineering role to build out my skill set in this area, with a plan to work toward data science and AI development, bringing my old love of science back into the picture.
Along the way, however, it was hard not to notice, that Data Engineering seems far behind Software Engineering when it comes to adoption of modern DevOps development practices. This is beginning to change with concepts like DataOps, MLOps, and Data Platform Engineering getting more attention. But it’s here I may have found a niche I am passionate about, bridging the gap between technology that is pushing the cutting edge, and infrastructure that’s efficient, reliable, and scalable.