I've been asked how I first got into programming, and the answer sometimes embarrasses me a bit: I was bad at a video game. At eleven, I was so bad at Civilization that I finally resorted to opening the game in a hex editor (after learning what one was) and manipulating it directly. Though I had dabbled in programming before (well, BASIC), the sense of discovery I felt then was what truly made me fall in love with the idea of creating and altering software. Afterward, throughout junior high, high school, and college, I taught myself hex, DOS batch "programming", various BASICs, Z80 assembly, and eventually JavaScript and Java.Since then, coding has pervaded both my personal and professional life. I spent the first eight years out of college working at a help desk, but put my skill and passion to good use creating internal tooling and automation. In 2008, I made the transition to full-time web developer, and have since earned a reputation for knowledge and resourcefulness. At home, I'm constantly working on side projects, for myself or for friends, using any technology which piques my interest.And I'm always eager to learn a new skill, or to exercise and hone an existing one.