At a young age, technology has always had my intrigue. Growing up, I was the designated “tech guy” in my family. Ranging from universal remotes to wireless home networks, if anyone in my immediate to extended family needed help with technology, I was the one they would ring. I knew I wanted to work with technology but back then, I did not see the “traditional 4 year college experience” as something that I desired so I went to trade school to study aviation maintenance.
Studying the physics and construction of airplanes was very interesting but my biggest takeway from the subject is one that I still use today, and that is the importance of reading manuals or documentation.
Halfway thru school, I had a change of heart and decided to join the Hospitality industry for a few years. I worked at a large hotel in the Bellevue area, serving in a plethora of roles. I went from Overnight Valet Driver (fun stories here), to Night Auditor, to Front Desk Agent, to House Keeping Coordinator. While in the industry, I picked up a ton of soft skills. Importantly, effectively commicating and delegating within a team with compassion and empathy.
The skills I picked up in Hospitality help keep me humble and to always try to see a situation from as many prespectives possible.
I am one of the many engineers in the software industry that come from a “Coding Bootcamp” background. With my high interest in technology, in 2017, I took a chance and left the hotel to go to school for Web Development. Here, I built my foundation of technical knowledge to join the industry and immediately began contributing to my past companies success.