What is this?
This website is both a learning exercise and a place to share. I’ve decided to improve my web fundamentals and rebuild my personal site using simple HTML, CSS, and my favorite text editor. I intend to have fun with this and make enhancements over time as a sort of never-ending-project. My goal is to keep this website evergreen; I don’t want to rely on any heavy frameworks that will cause rot without regular maintenance. My guiding philosophy is to add enhancements only when I need them, such as pagination once the Blog page gets too long, a related posts section at the bottom of a blog post once I write enough posts, etc.
Plans for this website
This site is under construction 🙂 🚧. Some pages and features do not exist yet. I intend to build out the following:
- Gallery of my photography
- Project page
- Automated blog post publishing workflow (an invisible upgrade)
- So essentially, a static site generator.
- ...and more!
About Me
I like to tinker. I’m drawn to technology because of the problems it enables me to solve. I found that writing code in R and Python for statistical computing was what I enjoyed most during my academic years. The love I had for solving problems with code manifested itself again when I joined the workforce. I worked at a banking software company starting in September 2018 where I had the opportunity to support critical enterprise applications and learn a whole lot more about web technologies and infrastructure than I ever knew. At the same time, I learned there was so much more that I didn’t know. What started as a level 1 position focused primarily on supporting a million+ user web application with on-premises infrastructure—doing sometimes repetitive but critical work—blossomed over a few years into a role where I learned the power of automation, I discovered the joy of code through learning PowerShell, and I served as a force multiplier for my team by enabling them with custom tools that reduced toil. My ultimate goal was to transform my role into one that aligned with what I had discovered about myself: I like to a) question assumptions, b) solve real problems that you can only identify by doing the actual work, and c) learn new things for the sake of knowledge: I value competency, and strive to improve mine.
In September 2022, I began a Full Stack Coding Bootcamp that taught me modern web application development practices and provided an environment to work collaboratively on small software projects. Given I was still working full-time, this was both a thrilling and exhausting endeavor. Either way, it was a valuable experience. After the end of the program, I decided to leave my current employer to take a break and pursue the next phase of my career. In hindsight, I can say that—given the tech job market—this wasn’t my best idea! It was a tough job search and I didn’t find what I was looking for: a small company where I could use my new skills and begin the rest of my career. I had a brief stint at a local university doing application support, and decided to return to my former employer in a new role and a new domain, focused on technical risk and security.
I’m professionally experienced in supporting distributed applications, application deployment, automation, tool development, and incident response. I love the power of shell scripting, whether it is PowerShell or Bash. I like to build tools to solve my own problems. I’m constantly looking to fill the gaps in my knowledge. I’m particularly interested in web development, Linux system administration, and the command line interface. I have a low-stakes homelab: I run Debian Linux on some old hardware with too many hard drives, which primarily serves as my network file storage. I really enjoy using macOS for my main workstation and I’ve been using a Mac alongside Windows for over a decade. I love the UNIX Philosophy. I’m also a fan of free open source software and the ethos behind it.
Core Principles
I’ve been building a list of core principles that embody how I operate. These started as a list in my personal notes that I would either update when I noticed something about a situation I was in and how I responded, or just saving a thought I had about how I want to exist in this world. Therefore, these are both truths and ideals.
Seek clarity
Look out for ambiguity and nip it in the bud. When an ask is unclear, immediately question it. Or, if the situation permits, provide your insight for each possible interpretation.
Work at a reasonable pace
Shoddy work is a no-go. If you move too fast and don’t think enough about the problem you’re trying to solve, you’ve done a bad job.
Recurring reassessment
Is what we’re doing still working? What have we learned and what can we change for the better?
Clean up your mess
Multi-faceted. Your workspace, your projects, etc. If you can’t clean as you go, be intentional about baking in time to clean things up.
Set yourself up for success
Position yourself so that you’ll have an easier time. This may mean more work up front, but less pain in the end.
Say it in your own words (prove understanding)
Don’t regurgitate what you hear. Seek to understand and rephrase.
Build your intuition
Train your gut. Reinforce learnings so hard-won insights become instinct.