This site is a place for me to try to gather my notes into a coherent posts.

  My functional experience prior to November of 2020 was all but limited to installing Steam and playing video games. Though I had an interest in programming in high school, where I’d want to take those skills felt like a pipedream, as it would have been geared towards the gaming industry. I let that dream fade away in pursuit of what felt more attainable goals. The creative and passionate energy that was the backbone of my previous daydream was spent playing music and touring with my band. I worked jobs that allowed me the flexibility to continue to pursue that passion, and eventually, life required a more concrete decision on where I’d want to go. I’ve always enjoyed challenging work, both physically and mentally. At the time, HVAC seemed like a nice blend of both that would provide me with a more stable foundation to build the rest of my life on.

  I stumbled back into the world of technology and computers through a random YouTube video in 2018, right as I was entering into the HVAC ring. It was like I’d forgotten, or maybe it never occurred to me, that there was so much more to the technology industry than game programming, general IT, and web development programming. The long-forgotten interest that I had was reignited in full force. I inhaled videos about anything related to Linux systems, penetration testing and systems hardening, and various other systems and methodologies. I even subscribed to YouTube Red in order to download videos for offline listening, which I did anytime I could while working my HVAC jobs.

  Despite my deep interest, it seemed like my technological ambitions would continue through hobbies. After all, I’d just entered the HVAC field, it wasn’t feasible or wise at the time to shift directions. Life did present that opportunity and timing in November of 2020, when I left my job as a HVAC Tech and dove into teaching myself enough to begin that change. By the following Fall, I enrolled in a Cybersecurity Bootcamp. I’ve spent the last year honing my knowledge, working endlessly on projects and completing tutorials, and cultivating skills that I previously lacked. I currently have my Linux+ and Security+.