About Me
I hope this page will help you get to know me better and to gauge whether we are a good fit to work together.
I grew up in southeastern Wisconsin, paid my own way through my first college degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and worked part time doing programming while I attended school.
Later on, I had the privilege of earning a degree from the University of Chicago’s weekend MBA program, which I completed while working full time.
I got top grades in school, mostly due to the same hard work and determination I apply to technical work. You can expect the same if I do project work for you.
Staying Technical
Several times in my career I had opportunities to go into management, but I stayed with technical work instead. I truly enjoy focusing my mind to work out technical challenges. Even when I lead a project, I still keep part of the technical work for myself. I find that the best way to be able to help teammates on their challenges is to jump right in there with them.
Keep It Practical and Simple
As a software architect or developer, I look for simple answers that meet today’s requirements, anticipate future requirements, and provide a manageable work surface for other developers. Elegance of the solution is a welcome side-effect but not an end in itself. The solutions I provide for you will be understandable and maintainable by whoever comes after me.
Self-Starter, Team Player, Remote-Efficient
I love digging into development projects of all sizes and welcome the challenge of starting from a blank piece of paper and guiding a project from initial concept to implementation and beyond. In a team setting, I am a “gap filler” – whatever the project needs to move ahead, I make sure it gets done. I thrive on remote work and have been doing it successfully for 20+ years.
Christmas Ornaments From Junk
I have a hobby of making home-made Christmas ornaments from whatever is laying around the house. The rules are that you have to use what you already have and keep purchases to a minimum.
The photo shows my 2024 project, a 10-foot star made from the slats of an old futon bed frame.
This is an example of constrained design, which we confront in technical work more times than not. I will make my work fit into whatever environment you currently have.