I’ve had the privilege of enjoying a long and memorable career in software engineering. Along the journey I have had the opportunity to work at a wide variety of companies and in many different roles. It has not always been pretty but it has always been interesting and given me ample opportunity to meet many incredible people and learn a wealth about the art and science of developing software solutions.In my current role as a software engineering manager there have been failures and successes. I struggle with candid feedback, it feels very unnatural to delegate tasks and trying to maintain credibility with the newest frameworks is humbling. But, I’ve also found some pleasant surprises. Initially horrified to interview new candidates, I’ve come to really enjoy and even excel at it. One on one meetings are often the best times of the week for me and it is very rewarding to help other engineers with their career progress.Before coming to work at Kohl’s, I had the good fortune to work at many different types of companies. I started my career working on and administering computing systems all over the world in the US Air Force. Afterwards I worked my way through college at a small control systems company doing everything from building control panels to billing software. I worked at a large printing automation company building products that were sold globally. I even had the unexpected experience of working at a startup, one of six employees, where I became fascinated with building products and audiences.All of those varied experiences gave me the chance to learn a wide variety of skills. How to write clean code, how to develop a product that users actually want, how to train user groups and other engineers, how to seek out mentors and learn from them, how to stay curious, how to formulate and present ideas to executives, how to take risks, how to accept tough feedback, how to embrace new technologies, how to compromise, how to have fun, how to think about large systems, how to plan, how to fail gracefully, and a million other things.In addition to software engineering, there are many other things that I find very rewarding. I enjoy fellowship with friends, family and Christ at our church. I spend as much free time as possible outdoors hiking, biking, kayaking and mountaineering. Like many developers I enjoy gaming. I also consider myself something of an amateur military historian. Finally, I often find ways to incorporate many of these hobbies into various technology side projects like iOS applications, web applications and newsletters.