I got my first computer when I was 5, but it wasn’t really mine, it was my sister’s. She got it as a gift for her 15th birthday. I didn’t do much with it besides play a ton of games like Age of Empires 2, Warcraft 3, Dungeon Siege 2, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and Pokémon on an emulator. Oh, and I occasionally played FIFA ‘99 too. Here’s proof:

I wasn’t particularly interested in bending that magical rock wrapped in dinosaur to my will. It’s not that kind of story. Honestly, I didn’t even think about a career in tech until late in high school. Before that, I wanted to be an animator. That’s right, my dream before turning 18 was to work at Pixar.

Over time, I realized that drawing, sketching, and animating weren’t things I wanted to do for a living. I enjoyed them more as hobbies, without all the pressure and deadlines.

When I first decided I wanted a career in tech, I leaned towards video games, because of course! The industry seemed like it was always booming, and while attractive at the time I later learned that big game studios often have rough working conditions and not-so-great pay, while smaller studios come with a lot of risk. Thing is, I didn’t end up skipping game dev because of any of that, I just found something I liked even more: writing C.

If you enjoy coding in C, have a thing for hardware, and want solid job security, firmware development is the way to go. I basically found the country club of the tech industry. Now, don’t get me wrong, firmware development is tough. It’s even tougher when you’re working on things like gaming consoles, medical devices, or industrial control systems. But I started out with home automation and security, so yeah, the country club of the tech industry by comparison. Though now I’m looking to distance myself from firmware and dive into a new set of challenges.

Besides programming and drawing, I enjoy a few other things too, like reading. Every day, I love to kick back with my Kindle for an hour or two. Sometimes, I read until my eyes get blurry. It’s the best way to unwind. I also love biking, though it’s been a while since I’ve done it. Back when I lived near Forest Park in Queens, I used to get up around 5am to bike before work. I especially loved biking in the dead of winter. The streets and park were nearly empty, and there’s something about that cold air rushing into my lungs and numbing my face that I just love.

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