Personal Background
I've been into technology for as long as I can remember. From messing around on the early 2000s web, to videogames, to binging LTT videos as a teenager. That last habit eventually got me to build a gaming PC, at which point I dove into learning about hardware and troubleshooting. After high school, I decided to study computer science in college.
During my time in college, I became enthralled with hacking and cybersecurity as a whole. While it has certainly provent to be a multidisciplinary field with a ton of depth, I enjoy that aspect of it since it means there's always something for me to dig into. These days, I'm just about finishing up my Bachelor's Degree for Computer Science, with my focus being in Cybersecurity.
Educational Background
I graduated from community college with honors and obtained an Associate's in Computer Science. From there, I transferred to Oregon State University to continue my CS studies. My time in community college was spent learning a lot of the basics: data structures, simple algorithms, and Object Oriented Programming. On the side, I took some time to study psychology and sociology.
In university, my classes quickly began to lean more towards CS and development. I started with web development and networking basics, after which I learned about computer architecture by building some projects in x86 Assembly. Currently, my classes have been focused on security and encryption. There's also been an increase in group projects, which has helped me to learn to develop projects while part of a team.
Professional Background
Despite my studies being in CS, a lot of my professional background has been in hospitality. I've worked hotels for roughly 7 years. Everything from small local spots, to casino resorts, to convention hotels with over 1000 rooms. It's been a great way to be exposed to all sorts of people and develop my social skills.
Aside from hospitality, I also spent some time working as a coach in a correctional facility. My job consisted of getting groups of incarcerated individuals together for classes consisting of emotional regulation methods, goal setting/planning, and habit building. While my time in this job was relatively short compared to my work in hospitality, it helped me greatly by giving me practice working with those with a background much different from my own.