The year was 1997…
My mom had just brought home a giant box with a cow pattern. I excitedly ripped it open and inside I found (as you may have guessed if you’re as old as I am) a Gateway 2000 computer. I was over the moon with that thing. I spent many nights staring into its oversized CRT monitor discovering all I could about how it worked. I cracked open its comically enormous tower once, much to the chagrin of my parents, and ogled over its cards and rats nest of connection cables. Life was pretty good
My love and curiosity for computers began with that lovable, off-white relic. I had never thought about actually pursuing a career in computers or software, mainly because I didn’t really think I was smart enough to do it. My math skills in high school were average at best, and guidance councilors I had spoken to had actually even tried to discourage me from it. But it wasn’t until I met my wife in 2017 that I decided to give it a try. She convinced me to take a couple community college classes in Java just to see if I had the aptitude for it. For the record, she always believed I did, I just needed to convince myself. I actually found myself taking to the basics of programming pretty easily. It wasn’t all impossibly complex mathematics like I had thought! During some of those classes, I also picked up a small Arduino starter kit. I had an interest in writing some code that actually made a real, physical thing do something. Those experiments further cemented my intent to make a career change.
About Me
I graduated with my first bachelors degree in Broadcast Communication from Wets Liberty University in 2006. I am a newscast director for the local NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, PA and I’ve been doing this now for about 10 years. For the most part it has been a pretty fun ride; I’ve made lasting friendships, covered some pretty awesome events, and even won two regional Emmy awards. But now it’s time for me to move on. My wife and I are expecting our first child (A girl!) this summer and I’m so excited!
My Story So Far at OSU and beyond
I’ve had a great time at Oregon State. I think my favorite class I’ve taken thus far would have to be Intro to Parallel Programming. Professor Bailey is a fantastic instructor, and the subject matter was incredibly interesting to me! My primary career interests after graduation include pursuing a career in robotics and autonomous systems. I think that’s why I’d really like to be included in the music genre neural net project for CS 467. Developing/training a neural network would look great on a resume, especially if I end up going the robotics route. Pittsburgh is becoming a serious robotics hub for the east coast and I really want to be a part of it.
