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M 33. Sr Software Engineer.
It all started with online gaming. Was playing Tribes PB Mod from 2000-2004. In 2004 my clan leader quit and left me the clans website (on a .tk domain back then).
The website was in PhP and there was also a PhPBB Forum attached. In editing roster changes it was my first experience into code, or code editing. Due to the popularity of forums, I also got into creating Forum Signatures, which were little images that you could create and add to the end of your posts. Some forums
also supported little code snippets. I started designing these signatures for clan members and friends and tried to get a design position on clangraphics.com. I failed a few times but the pursuit ultimately got me into design and abstract art. Paint Shop Pro 8, PS 7, Bryce 5.5, Apophysis, Terragen, etc. In my senior year of HS, I had a Sr Art Show and displayed all my computer graphic work, got great feedback and decided I wanted to get into design. After applying to a for-profit design school, I started following more interesting artists doing web designs, etc (DepthCORE, DeviantArt) and started to do some Web Design stuff. At my day job, I listened to the Boag World Podcast, which taught me about Zen of CSS Design, Don't Make me Think, Sitepoint, nettuts, etc. Started playing around and coding some rudimentry designs I made. College made me bitter after transferring to Chicago (whole other story), and realized it was my portfolio, not my degree that mattered to my potential employers. After 8 months of hardship, and some very small freelancing, scored a contract position at a design agency who eventually hired me full time (2010). Was a long journey, but definitely worth it. I still joke with my mom that online gaming got me where I am today. |