My Story

I'd say my career started the last week of junior high. At that point, all of my classes had basically finished, and playing whatever browser-based game the school's firewall didn't block had grown old.

The solution? Well, that Code.org Minecraft game we played in computer class once was fun enough. It drained about an hour, but then I started exploring the website for other things to do. Eventually, I found their feature for lessons, and I specifically remember trying to create an ellipse; when I saw it render on the screen, I was hooked.

For a few months, I would spend hours tearing through online resources and textbooks. I probably alternated between trying to learn three different programming languages, before eventually I came to a realization: if I seriously wanted to learn, I needed to actually make something.

Just as before, I resorted to Minecraft, setting my sights on creating a mod for the game using Java. For a first project, it was too ambitious: I transitioned to other projects before ever finishing. Still, this was how I found my answer to that standard small talk question people always seemed to ask:

"What do you want to do when you grow up?"

"I want to be a software developer."

Since then, I've come a long way. After all, now I can actually finish my projects without infinitely increasing their scope (most of the time)! I've also branched out from Minecraft mods, focusing more on building apps on a variety of platforms, be they websites, phones, or calculators.

This has been done with one thought in particular residing in the back of my head: to start that career, I'd need to convince someone to hire me. To achieve this, I decided to focus on two key areas. Earning a degree in computer science was a must, which meant I needed to excel in school to secure the financial support necessary to pay for it. Still, I knew it would also be important that I build a portfolio to demonstrate what I've built and what I've learned.

Given that you're reading this, it seems I did stop redesigning that portfolio eventually.

My Interests & Hobbies

• Programming: It's a cliché, I know. Regardless, it seems as though I always have some project (or five!) in the works, like an ever-turning wheel of ideas that I slowly chip away at until they either cross the finish line or fail, teaching me something new along the way.

• Minecraft: Just because that first mod idea never got off the launchpad does not mean I gave up! While I don't play the game all that often anymore, I certainly spend a lot of time building mods for it. I particularly enjoyed designing an RPG system (that I already plan to iterate on), and I am currently modeling and texturing a set of new foes to add as well.

• Writing: My fingers still don't get a break because any time I spend not coding is dedicated to planning and writing my next chapter. By the time you're reading this, I will be writing my first entry into a trilogy. As my first non-derivative writing project, it is likely to come out with plenty of warts, but I'm excited to work on it nonetheless!

If you need to contact me directly

Other places you can find me