Where I started with computers:
As a teenager in the 80’s, I was fascinated with video games and learning about the state of the art (at the time) Apple 2C+ that my parents purchased for my brother and I. At a certain point in college the first time around, I decided to focus my efforts on studying business and getting started in my career in the US Army. Fast forward 30 plus years later, and I have two sons of my own who are planning to study computer science when they graduate high school in a few years. In the 30 years in between that Apple 2C+ and now, I served in the US Army for over 8 years, and lived in South Korea for about 18 years. I’ve worked for several years in South Korea in IT as project manager, systems administrator, and even a systems engineer. While I found the work very interesting, I always felt as if I was missing fundamental knowledge that some of my peers with computer science degrees had. It was when I saw that Oregon State had a post-baccalaureate CS degree option that I realized I could compete my CS degree while working here in South Korea.
Current job:
Currently I work as an Engineering Liaison supporting IT network engineering work being done on a large military base here in South Korea. It is a very interesting job, as I get to combine my love of technology with lessons learned from managing IT projects and running a Project Management Office to help the project managers and engineers working here succeed.
Your future career:
In the future, I can see myself working remotely in a team of developers to create apps for the US Army, or possibly working as the engineer this time instead of the project manager on some additional large scale IT engineering projects.
Favorite technologies:
My favorite technologies are databases, Node.js , Python, and JavaScript in general. I’m also a big fan of virtualization, and the amount of time and effort it can save if backups are managed appropriately.
New technologies:
I’m looking forward to learning about flask, and developing a better understanding of front-end technologies such as React and Angular.
Favorite listed projects (in this course) and why:
- Online Project Management Website:
I have a strong interest in project management applications, as I
use these in my daily work in South Korea supporting the US
Army.
2. Opinionated Project Management Website:
I have experience in creating agile project management tools for use in running a Project Management Office. I’m interested in actually creating something similar in an online application.
3. Malware Analysis:
I’m interested in learning more about Malware analysis, and other aspects of Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is an important part of the IT work that’s done here where I work.
4. Website Security Research Project:
I think it’s important for developers to understand the different attacks that can be implemented, and how to protect against them, especially for developing web applications.
5. Job Tracker:
This seems like a very useful tool to help job seekers do some analysis of what they are applying for vs their strengths and would help with better targeting job opportunities that match one’s skill set.
6. Text-based Adventure Game:
I used to play this type of game a lot back in the 1980’s on my Apple 2C+. Always thought it would be fun to create my own game.
Current interests:
I’m currently studying Software Defined Networking and looking forward to applying what I’m learning about programming in this degree program to network automation and other possible future work opportunities.
Journey with OSU:
It has been an interesting and long (almost 4 years) journey with OSU. When I started in 2018 wit CS 161, C++ was still being taught as the language to use for CS 161 and CS 162. I took a hiatus from classes for several months to deal with some health issues and came back to find Python to be the new language of choice. I can say that I’ve learned a great deal from each of the classes, and I’m looking forward to what’s next after my last two classes (CS 467 and CS 493) are completed. I plan on starting graduate school when I’m eligible in the fall of next year. Who knows, now that OSU has a MSCS online degree option, maybe I’ll continue here.
Kids, pets, hobbies, sports, games, activities, etc:
Both of my sons have spent most of their lives living in South Korea and attending the American schools on military bases here. Both are planning on studying Computer Science when they graduate high school. One graduates high school in 2023, the other in 2024. Only two more years until my wife and I can celebrate! My wife is Korean, but we actually met in Texas where I was initially working in the US Army. All four of us miss Texas, but we are happy living here. My favorite sports are NFL football (go Chiefs!), and NBA basketball. The biggest activity I spend my time on outside of class or work is weight training. We actually brought a power rack and about 800 pounds of Olympic weight plates here with us to South Korea so my sons and I can exercise anytime we want. The other activity we have is watching and rewatching seasons of Stranger Things. It’s fun to explain to my sons what an arcade was like back then.
