After gradutating with my Associates of Applied Science (with extra credits for Python and Microcomputer Databases) and while working at Microsoft as a Support Engineer, I took some formal classes that focused on Object Oriented Programming at Hennipen Technical College. Though it didn't result in a degree, the courses were valuable in teaching me OOP in Java, C#, more SQL and database design, and a little C++.

My professional career began in 2016 when I was contracted by Dakota Supply Group to merge their two intranet sites. After the project was completed in late 2016, I joined Insight Technologies as a full time Web Developer and part of a small development team. This position gifted me an abundace of opportunity to new tools and technologies such as Laravel (MVC framework), MVC design patterns, Vagrant development environments, and using cURL PHP (client URL) to run verification checks on hosted SSL certificates. I developed a brand new project in Umbraco (C#/ASP.NET) and learning the Razor syntax. I also managed site updates for other clients using Sitefinity and osCommerce content management systems.

In 2018, I transitioned to New Vision Engineering Solutions as a Software Engineer I. In May 2018, I transitioned my employment to New Vision Solutions as a Software Engineer I. New Vision's introduced the fascinating world of the Internet of Things (IoT), much of what I have worked on to this point has been PTC's IoT development platform: ThingWorx Studio. ThingWorx very often interacts with PTC Product LifeCycle Management (PLM) products such as Navigate and Windchill (for interaction with BoM Management (Bill of Materials) and more). ThingWorx customization entails JavaScript based services, Java entities and objects, XML exporting/importing, etc.

In July 2019, I wanted to focus on web development again rather than IoT, which lead me to accepting a position at Codelation, a small company in Fargo that focused on other startup clients. This taught me adaptability as I had to pick up Ruby on Rails rather quickly, having no prior knowledge. Beyond the workday, I spent time after hours in a long Udemy course for Ruby on Rails. This position was also great for learning React, Postgres, Heroku, RSpec/Capybara testing, and many other technologies. The development team was collaborative and fun to work with.

After moving to the Twin Cities area in 2020, I took a contract for a Web Developer position at Winnebago and to be working with the ASP.NET content management system, DynamicWeb, and vanilla JavaScript. We also used Azure pipelines, Microsoft IIS, SQL, and managing some Active Directory. We also developed a custom RV configuration app in Next.js and React.js. Winnebago was the largest company I had worked with since I was at Microsoft.

While at my last position with LuminFire, I built and maintained WordPress and vanilla PHP applications including building custom plugins from scratch and PHP for custom functionality for existing and third party plugins. New projects included SCSS (Sassy Stylesheets), custom jQuery, Laravel Mix, testing out boilerplate structures like Bedrock. Additionally, I contributed to Laravel projects that often used Vue.js and DevOps related tasks including configuring servers, SSL Certificates, site and database migrations, and DNS configuration.

As I look for my next adventure, I can honestly say that I have loved working on every team I have been on. I still get humbled by the amazing senior developers and other team members that have patience, support, and dedication to keep sharing knowledge so that we all level up. I love that every day is different and there are always new problems to solve. I am very dedicated to continuous learning certainly including Udemy, LinkedIn, Laracasts, and Lynda.com (before it was LinkedIn Learning). I'll continue to approach and learn new things as it's one of the ingredients of what I set out to do so many years ago.