It’s here! The last class and quarter of my Oregon State journey to a new career. I’ve been working in video production for over 10 years, a career that’s taken me from Ohio (where I graduated, and started off at a local Government access TV station) to California and now Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve traveled the world, met tons of inspiring people, and made a trove of memories I’ll cherish forever. And now I’m here at the precipice of my next chapter.
Many years ago, I wanted to make movies or video games, and made a tough choice to pursue video production over computer science. Through many ups and downs, I managed to accomplish nearly all the goals I had set for myself. And I’m forever grateful for all the people and experiences that led to me meeting and having. But a few years ago, while working in Silicon Valley, I started to get the programming itch. I bought a book, wrote a lot of little python apps and become fascinated by how much there was to learn and do. It was then that I decided to pursue a formal degree, both as a challenge, and a way to open more doors in the future, no matter where they led.
Many years later, many classes later, and many late nights debugging and polishing various projects, I can finally see the horizon. And I’m excited, nervous, and curious to see how my career changes from here. I’ve been trying to find the right niche or particular path in programming, and only recently after taking a software security class did I potentially find one. As such, I want to pursue projects for this class centered around malware defense or cybersecurity. Several of the companies I’ve worked for have been victims of ransomware attacks or DDOS’ing, and I’ve always wondered how developers can better write their code to avoid such terrible incidents. A friend in the industry who enjoys their current role has been an inspiration as well, guiding me towards this area. So I’m ready to collaborate with other capstone students as we take our final steps to graduation!
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