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The Origin Story

Hello there! My name is Michelle and I’m a designer/creative based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m finishing up my computer science post-bacc degree from Oregon State University (I TA’d CS 340 for a few terms – you might recognize me from there 👋🏻) and when I’m not busy being a student, I operate and perform in a Chicago-based non-profit contemporary music ensemble that does educational outreach residencies with various universities and colleges in the US & Canada. Additionally, I run my own freelance design and photography studio, mainly working with small businesses and B2B clients. In my previous life, I was a marketing and graphic design manager at an OEM manufacturing company in mid-Michigan and hold another degree in Music Performance – Clarinet from Michigan State University.

How did I transition into programming and software? Why?

I’ve always considered myself a bit of a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ because I like learning a little bit about everything and learning enough to do some damage. I find it helpful with the constant changing and evolving technologies and programming languages. It’s always moving forward and in many different directions, and it’s a major part of what inspired me to pursue this field.

Art and design was the ‘gateway’ for me to pursue programming. When I was a kid in the early 2000s I found enjoyment from making and customizing Myspace layouts and learning CSS/HTML. I revisited mark-up languages later on when I created my own blogs and websites for my music career, and then once more when I worked for the manufacturing company where I was tasked with maintaining it. I have a lot to thank my last job for that let me dip my toe in so many different projects, including the seminal ones that were a catalyst for my journey into programming. I had room and opportunity to learn Python to automate monotonous tasks, and pursue front-end projects in collaboration with the IT department. It was from here where I decided I wanted to be able to be more useful and learn more ways to be more efficient at my job and enrolled into OSU. I also found it really interesting how much I could customize and automate my work with a bit of code. I also loved that there was an endless amount of technology to learn – it’s hard to get bored.

Now, I’m at the tail end of my journey at OSU, and while I no longer work for my previous company that inspired me to begin (long story short- I got married and moved to the Bay Area where my husband’s job is located and had to leave the company as it was required on-site) I am grateful for the experience and opportunities it allowed me to have.

What’s Next?

I’m hoping my next major gig will be in a smaller company where I can wear many hats. I think I thrive in smaller environments where I can see my impact more tangibly. I’m caught between not wanting to peg myself as a designer/front-end only programmer and have been trying to pursue more back-end related projects, with special interest in database design and cloud infrastructure. But, as I’ve tried to run away from my identity an artist, I think it will always be at my very core.

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