I have always been interested in all things tech. Even from a very early age. I remember setting my dads Casio first ever LCD digital watch at 5 years old because he couldn’t figure it out. This was about 1979.

When I was 11 years old my parents bought me an Apple IIGS. Because thats what we where being taught on in school. Where we would do some very basic programming in DOS. I also played a-lot of “Where is Carmen San Diego”, “Submarieneer”, and “Organ Trail” off of 5.25 floppy’s. I think also it had a 3.75 hard floppy drive too. Basically I played on that until it started crashing. Yes I tried to fix it. But parts where not really available at that time. But also at that time I was big into soccer. The number one rule was that I always heard not only from my coaches but my parents too was…you work hard, practice, practice, practice and you practiced how you play and good thing will happen. That has followed me everywhere.

So I played soccer all the way threw high school. Not only playing for my high school but also playing for a club team. After graduation I signed up out local junior/community college. In which didn’t last very long. I was board with school and wanted something more. What it was I really didn’t know.

So while in high school I did have a part time position at a local grocery market. My parents may me work when I turned 16, in which now I look back now I am grateful. Grateful that they instilled great work ethic, honesty, always give 100% to what you are doing. Also durning at that time I work at my dads manufacturing plant. Not working for him directly but working for the plant manager. I’m not going to lie my dad was in the highest position. So I had to prove to the guys that I worked with that I wasn’t a “Daddy’s Boy”. Great guys to work with but they were “sorted bunch” that were on the mend. So that was hard work. Working two jobs when you are 16,17,18 durning the summers. But a great learning experience.

My first interaction with technology was custom car audio. While working two jobs I was also hanging out at our local custom car audio shop. It was something I was really into at that time. And it look interesting as a profession. So I started asking more questions and the manager noticed and asked me if I would like a 90 day trial period. I took it and took off. I did that for about four years. Which was pretty cool because I got learn about voltages/amperages, circuits and relays.

After four years it, the job was getting old. Plus I could kind see that customers were getting less and less and wanting to pay less. At the same time I had a “really good” friend that own an electrical business. He saw that I was pretty unhappy where I was at and talked me into working for him. He said learn a trade and incorporate what you know about car audio and apply it to the home or business. So I said sure plus it was a little more in pay. When I started my electrical journey I picked it up pretty quickly and was having good time learning from good guys. But soon after my friend got that job he was bought out by his partner and everyone was going be let go. Fortunately same friend had an in at another company and talked me up to them so the hire me there. In which I really flourished. Because they were a lot bigger company. Pretty soon after I started there the owner of that company started an AV side. Which entailed of Multi Room Audio Video(residential/commercial), Lighting Control(residential/commercial), networking pulling/terminating (residential/commercial), Plus I was still doing electrical work too. So I was busy all the time.

So that company closed it doors and I decided to start a company, get married and have a kid, which definitely a learning experience and a huge leap forward. I learn how to incorporate ourselves, to all the insurance that we needed, to the payroll and everything else it takes to run a business. This part of my life I really don’t want to talk about it here. Lets just says I had to shut the business down, I was in debit to vendors in which I tried to pay off and out looking for another job. Wound up working for the head of the residential side at that big company. He started his own and was needing my help. So I started working for him but soon after that I wanted to learn more. At that time my dad had a good friend that owned a residential/commercial/industrial electrical business and looking for someone that can do the “low voltage stuff” as he would put it. Great right up my alley. Also it was a little bump in pay. But working there was definitely an eye opening experience. I was in charge of planning, bidding, running all the wiring, installing and programming everything. So I got to touch a lot of tech and was in love with it. And it’s probably at that time that i said to myself “take this time to really learn everything you touch”. I was still doing electrical but I was more A/V Lighting, Networks, camera systems, ect. I had a lot of opportunities to teach my self how make equipment talk to each other and work together to make it easier for the client. This part of my life sky rocketed on knowledge. I did get to touch some home networks and see how they worked but I was always playing around with personal network and got to do a ton of programming for whole house automation. I work for this guy 7 years but was I wasn’t going anywhere and he never made good on his promises so I had to move on.

Which brings us to my current employer. The current business I work for has been great. I have definitely learned a lot here. But also I have been thrown in head first for a lot things. Don’t get me wrong I love that. There is no better way to learn. Currently, I am the only programmer for a couple of the home automation and lighting/shade system that the company I work for offers. I am also the network Architect/Admin/Engineer for all the hardwired, wireless,PtP/PtMP systems that we do not only for the company but all of customers and their businesses, I inherited this one after one of the bosses quit. which worked out for me because I love doing IT work. But I did have had to read a lot of documents, use google, and youtube videos, and lab a lot equipment to learn the correct way to set up networks. Currently in my network lab I have a Mikrotik router, Unifi 48p Switch, Cisco SG300 24p switch, 3 Grandstream access points, Unifi PtP, a server with Proxmox that is a bear metal version (I did have ESXI on it but wanted to learn something else) in the server I have some Ubunt, PF sense, Eve-XNG and other VM’s. I also have a Raspberry Pie 4 with Kali linux that also has connection back to Zerotier for testing purposes.

That is pretty much all my lab, beside the equipment that is used to run my house. For work equipment, I really don’t want say what we have but I have successfully set up the all the Vlans for data, voice, guest, and the necessary ports security’s needed for the controllers that I have spun up on VM’s. Also have set up remote VPN tunnels with L2TP, OpenVPN(on a hypervisor) and WIreguard(on a router). I Also programmed the Grandstream phone system at the company.

So I have had a lot of experience in all kinds of fields of work. Some with tech some without tech. If there is a theme of my life it is, to work hard, put in the time to learn what you are doing(not only at work but after work too) and practice, practice, practice.

If you have any specific questions feel free to reach out to me and I can explain further.