{"id":5,"date":"2023-10-03T01:48:23","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T01:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/?p=5"},"modified":"2023-10-03T01:48:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T01:48:23","slug":"first-post-intro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/2023\/10\/03\/first-post-intro\/","title":{"rendered":"First Post – Intro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What got you started with computers or software?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an affinity for technology (sounds clich\u00e9, right?). As high school was winding down, I figured that IT was the most logical career path for me. I was decent at it, and it seemed like a quicker route to a stable income compared to professions like being a doctor or lawyer. I started my academic journey at Middle Tennessee State University, majoring in Information Technology. After a year, I took a break to join the Tennessee Army National Guard to gain some professional IT experience (I was working in a warehouse and then a factory at that time). I went back to MTSU to pursue Computer Science, but had to drop out that same semester due to my National Guard commitments. Then, Covid hit, and I transitioned to online schooling (before it became the norm) and earned a BS in Cybersecurity. My interest in Computer Science remained, so I decided to continue pursuing it, and that’s why I’m here (more or less).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current job or internship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, I’m working as a penetration tester. I recently left my software engineering role, primarily because the pen test position offered better compensation (and a for a few important reasons).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journey with OSU<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My time with OSU feels long, but not really when you look at the bigger picture. As my deployment was ending, I qualified for the GI Bill (thanks to my National Guard service). Having already earned a BS in Cybersecurity, I was keen on getting an MS in Computer Science. However, I felt I needed a stronger foundation in CS before diving into graduate-level courses. That’s when I found out about OSU’s postbaccalaureate program, which seemed perfect for my situation. Balancing National Guard duties, a full-time job, relocating, multiple job changes, and even a 6-month coding bootcamp has been a whirlwind. But, I’m nearing the finish line after almost 2 years. My next goal? Enrolling in Georgia Tech’s Online Masters in Computer Science, hopefully by Fall 2024 or Spring 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids, pets, hobbies, sports, games, activities, etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m on the brink of getting married (in less than three weeks, to be exact). At home, I have the company of two black cats. Lately, I’ve been engrossed in studying for certifications, so not much free time on my hands. But, I’m hoping things will ease up once I graduate from OSU this December (that’s the plan anyway!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What got you started with computers or software? Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an affinity for technology (sounds clich\u00e9, right?). As high school was winding down, I figured that IT was the most logical career path for me. I was decent at it, and it seemed like a quicker route to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13877,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13877"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/maddesea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}