Considered a hands on professional who likes to get things done, he has a background in mission critical and high-pressure environments that has taught him to be detailed oriented, work in a team-first culture and how to think outside of the box to solve challenges.

What is unique about you?

If I had to choose just one thing, I would zero in on my ability to understand the spirit of vague requests and translate that back to both the internal and external stakeholders in a way everyone can understand, both technical and non-technical.

If you were a car brand, what would you be and why?

Toyota. Ultimate reliability with no shortcuts on quality. Toyota also has a reputation for practicality and attention to detail, something I can relate too. It may not be the flashiest on the inside, but they make sure to place everything right where you need it.

How do you make Software design decisions?

That's easy. Look at your data. What is it telling you? Are your users on mobile, desktop or tablet? What are your event's telling you, do they say your users are getting stuck on a certain page in the flow? Listening to the data you have available to you is the easiest way to make sure you're investing in the right place.

What is your claim to fame?

I wouldn't exactly call it fame, but way back before CodeAcademy existed... there was HTMLGoodies. I had started learning HTML in 1997 and primarily used FrontPage. Discovering HTMLGoodies helped me make the transition to manual HTML instead of WSYWIG. I wrote the author to let him know how appreciative I was and he was kind enough to acknowledge me in his book.

Somehow I also ended up in a heating and a/c company commercial, but we don't talk about that :)

How do I get started in computer forensics?

First, computer forensics is nothing like what you see on TV, or all trial technology for that matter (Looking at you Bull). Computer Forensics can be divided into two camps, Civil and Criminal. I can't speak for the latter, but for the short while I was in the field, it was extremely challenging and I loved every minute of it. Each collection brings new and unique challenges that will take your technical and preparation skills to the max. I was primarily involved with the processing and facilitating of collections, though I did do one or two myself. To get started in computer forensics, your best bet is to start out as an analyst at a e-discovery company. To advance and get far in the field, it will help if you have all of your Cisco and MCSE Certifications. The UW also has a certificate program. Good Luck!

Do you have a favorite website?

I have a certain affinity towards Quora. The variety of information and quality of the answers makes it easy to find answers to questions you never thought to ask. I also admire Unsplash. They offer free do whatever you want stock photographs that are extremely high quality. They make sure great hero background images, but I find myself browsing the images endlessly and simply admiring the beautiful photos.

I heard you have a weird response to the question "What is your weakness?" Is that true?

What is this, a job interview!?! All kidding aside, I happen to think this is a very interesting question that yields interesting responses. Many people try and spin a supposed strength as a weakness, for example "I am too detail oriented!" While that can be a sort of weakness since worrying about only details can mean a project never gets off the ground, it's not really the point of the question. Really, the answer is much more simpler than most people want to believe. We all have skill deficits, for example I have awful handwriting, but thats doesn't really the answer the question either. The truth is, we all have the same weakness, we're human. We make mistakes, we misjudge, we fall down. It's what you do about the mistakes that matter, learn from them and move on.

I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas Edison