My journey into tech began with my older brother. I cast my eyes about his home office and spied some programming texts that I found intriguing. I didn't suddenly burst into action at this point like I would if this were a film, rather more of a slow burning interest and curiosity that swayed decisions later on.
Work lifeI have worked in a variety of computing areas.
Testing and streamlining functions from low level to APIs within embedded systems.
Documentation creation for several Operating Systems, manuals, user guides and internal wiki pages.
Parsed a whole XML documentation library with XSLT so the output follows the DITA standard.
Creating tools that process infomation sourced from Doxygen, DITA XML and Example libraries outputting HTML.
Creating an easy to use CMS to customer spec and delivering training on its useage.
Creating basic websites from scratch to the customers specifications for small companies.
A career focused on problem solving relies heavily on using tools most suited to the job and that which the people around you use. For example, embedded systems are commonly written in C and C++. Documentation can be written using a mixture of XML and in code Doxygen tagging. Pulling information from differing formats into an end user library requires a mixture of Shell scripts and XSLT plus HTML and CSS styling. All these solutions require appropriate testing, some can be automated, to continually test and alert if any should fail, using shell scripts and Hudson.
Other skillsWhile not working I develop and practice other skills that often translate back to work.
An expert in stress management and overwhelm I am now fully equipped to manage time and organise myself and others effectively.
I recently learned how to ride a bike with no hands. With regular practice I find I can go for longer and with more control.
I try my hardest not to take time for granted. I use my fear of time ticking away to propel myself into doing, not just planning to do.
Going back to employment with give me financial independence and freedom.
A sense of accomplishment, and problem solving and understanding.
I relish becoming a good role model for my children.