I have been programming for around 7 years, long before I started any formal education. I started out wondering how I could add content to my favorite video game, which was Minecraft at the time. I wrote a mod for the game in java Read More ➤ (it didnt do much but it was my first code ever), and from there I was hooked. When I started high school, I wanted to take programming classes, but there wasn't a lot available at my school. I ended up transferring to the career technical education school in my county where I was able to take more advanced classes. Throughout my time in school, I was always looking for ways that I could put my talents to use. During those years, I created many applications that would allow me to complete my homework faster. Instead of having to look up the definitions of words, and find synonyms and antonyms. I created software where you could just type in all of the words, and the software would go and search google, and find all of thee information for you. With the extra time that I had, I developed video game bots (Runescape, anyone?). They were nothing complex, just scripts that would click on the screen and perform specified actions over and over. Eventually I moved on to larger projects, developing android apps. I created an app for a local club that would allow its users to post about the good deeds they were doing around the community, and give each other a little bit of encouragement for doing it. I also developed a few games during this time, that were all published on the google play store. Some time later I ported them to other platforms. Along the way I decided that I wanted to create my own website. I wanted full control over everything, so Wordpress or Wix was out of the question. I deployed my own servers using AWS infrastructure, experimenting with different operating systems and configurations over the years. Nowadays, I run a linux box with many Docker containers and a MySql database. Each of my applications runs in its own container, perfect to use any technology that I would like.
When I started college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, it was a breeze. The programming classes taught me almost nothing, as I had already learned all of basics and intermediates. In the following years, the classes got a little harder, the concepts more abstract, and the information was about things that would actually be helpful to me outside of class. I started my job as an application developer there, working as part of a small group to support a large variety of applications. In my time there I worked on many different things and managed a few projects of my own. It was great to have during college that was also in the field that I wanted to work in. I graduated with a B.S. in computer science in August of 2020, getting my degree in only 3 years. In my senior year of college, I also enrolled in the early entry program for graduate school, allowing me to work on both my B.S. and M.S. degrees at the same time. This was an incredible opportunity, as it meant that I could finish my Masters degree at the end of 2020 as well. It was a lot of work, but finishing both degrees within 6 months of each other is an amazing accomplishment. From here, I plan to go into the workforce, to work on bigger and better things, bringing with me all the experiences and knowledge I have gained so far.