If you've ever dipped your toes into the world of programming, you've likely encountered a Hello World example. You know why it's a rite of passage? It's not just an intro to syntax or coding basics; it's about creation. The Hello World program says, "Let’s make something. Sure, it’s simple, but it gives you a glimpse into exciting possibilities." So in that vein, as I create another Hello World, it’s not in a new coding adventure. Instead, I’m saying "Hello World" to this blog—a new creation and journey.
I went to college for Computer Science but didn't stick around long enough to get a degree. Ironically, I didn't even like programming back then. Who would've thought, right? It turns out I needed a real problem to chew on to find the fun in it. That moment came years later when I was slogging through a job at a massive corporation—yeah, one of those places with enough employees to populate a small country. Buried in repetitive tasks, I thought, "There’s gotta be a better way." So I built an app that took my Excel task lists and console commands, and bundled them together. That was my aha moment and the start of a beautiful relationship with code. Since then, I've done the rounds—big corporations, startups, and now, a cozy midsize place, learning new languages and frameworks at every stop.
Ever seen that Twitter post that says
The Programmers' Credo: We do these things not because they are easy, but because we thought they were going to be easy
Yep, that's me in a nutshell. My first business venture began with a friend's simple ask—convert a PDF into an app for wildland fire management. "Easy peasy," I thought. Spoiler alert: Nope, not easy. Fast forward four years, and after a pivot that didn’t take off like we hoped, it was time to step back and take a temporary break. But instead of chilling with a hobby like woodworking, I dived into another business venture with a longtime friend (we're talking wedding-party level friendship). Now, we're cooking up something new—a fresh take on travel guides at ParisInMyPocket.
So what's on deck for this blog? I'm committing to a post every Monday. The focus? Still figuring it out, but it'll start off as more of a journal than a polished blog. One thing I'm excited about documenting is the journey with ParisInMyPocket. We're working on this cool interactive feature for exploring Paris, and I’ll be sharing the nitty-gritty tech details and challenges here. So, if you're a coder curious about the business side of things or a businessperson wondering about the tech, stick around.
Feel free to hit me up with feedback on Twitter X.