My Journey

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Let me tell you a bit about my journey so far and how I’ve gotten to where I am.

I still live in my hometown of Tolland, CT. It’s a good town. It’s changed a lot over the years but it’s still not a bad place to live.

From an early age I’ve always enjoyed learning how things work and playing with technology. Looking back I always had some bits of electronics I was playing with. I even made a simple binary “computer” from switches to show people how binary math worked.

As a teenager I earned my amateur radio license (KA1DTG). Through a lot of hard work running a small backhoe we owned (ditches, well lines, and septic systems, oh boy!); I was able to save enough money to purchase a Heathkit HW-101 transceiver kit. After many late nights of assembling and soldering I managed to produce a working radio that let me communicate with other hams across the country. Communicating at first meant using morse code. No, I’m not that old but it wasn’t that long ago that “novice” hams were primarily only allowed to use morse code on many bands.

While running a backhoe and other labor intense jobs were satisfying, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in technology. So, off to college to earn a degree in Electronic Engineering Techology. Course work included everything from AC/DC theory, programming, control systems, microcontrollers along with a rounding of economics, philosophy, accounting, political science and …

During college I felt the urge to do something for the greater good of my town. In between school and work I found time to volunteer with my town’s fire department. I’ve managed to do two stints with the department and was able to put in about 14 years of service. If you ever want to learn team work, about getting beaten down by potential customers, and working under tight timelines; join a volunteer emergency service.

After college I landed a job with a pair of sister companies that produced embedded controllers and accessories for industry along with kits for hobbists. The kits came from articles the owner wrote for Byte magazine. Over the years I worked my way up through various positions in most of the departments in the companies. The companies also changed over time. The kit company morphed into a publishing company putting out a monthly magazine dedicated to embedded control. The industrial controller company was eventually sold off as the publishing company continued to grow.

I enjoyed many years with those companies and worked with a lot of great people. I also taught myself Linux so I could upgrade our servers, increase our capabilities, and keep costs down. It was also there where I got my feet wet in project management and software testing by overseeing the creation of a site to serve our publication electronically. But, time marches on and eventually the publishing company was sold off and I could see the writing on the wall and knew I would be looking at a new adventure in the not too distant future. Finally the day came and I needed to decide what I wanted to do next. Time for a change perhaps.

My father had been a tool and die maker and near the end of his life had made it clear that his tools were not to be sold off. As luck would have it a community college nearby had a Machining Technology program. So, back to school I went learning manual machining, CNC operations and programming, metrology, supply chain and more. At the end of the program we were selected by local firms for short interneships. Because of my electronics/computer background I was selected by an aerospace company to help run their seven-axis laser and other machines. After the internship I was hired on by the company. This lead to other jobs but my interest in technology kept calling.

After a bit I found myself back with a technology firm that specialized in hosting ecommerce sites. The best part was they were a Linux house, the OS which holds a special place in my heart. It was a small company and a fun place to work. Challenging but very enjoyable. That job lead to product support job with another firm.

But, life is always full of twists and I soon received a call from an old high school friend who was heading up an engineering department at an aerospace firm and needed someone who understood manufacturing, electronics, hydraulics, and testing. So off I went on to another adventure where I currently help design and maintain test stands for aerospace components.

I wonder what adventure lies ahead?