Kevin Connolly
Software Developer
Colorado Springs,
CO
kevin@kconnolly.net
Geek, developer, author, entrepreneur, beta tester, gamer, enthusiast, early adapter. I go too far, and then I keep going. I jump into exciting things, I run head first into projects, I dive into new technologies.
I am a sponge; a receiver of knowledge and developer of understanding. I learn and build upon myself through life experience and hands-on implementation. I do what I can and no more; I’ve tried to give 110% and failed, yielding a paltry 100%. I try to
learn through other peoples’ mistakes rather than my own, though experience has taught me the inevitability of occasional failure. My willingness to learn is rivaled only by my versatility in practice.
I have accomplished much in my life. I have repaired a non-starting car armed with nothing more than a crescent wrench and paper towel. I’ve been ordained by two separate churches; I’ve performed competitions and won accolades. I’ve received raises,
promotions, and respected statuses in my circles. If experience is the best teacher, I consider myself among the most learned in my age group.
I am an honorably-discharged wartime veteran, having been placed in ongoing charge of maintenance on F-15s valued at $30 Million. I have replaced parts ranging from simple screws to 16-foot engines, performed thousands of aeronautical
inspections, and been nearly knocked over when I was caught in the exhaust from the afterburners.
I participated in a variety of military exercises in which I’ve done everything from rocket science to simulating a terrorist attack with chemical weapons. I’ve blasted myself in the face with the rapid decompression from liquid oxygen to cool off on
a hot day, and used secondary exhaust air to warm up on a cold day. Once, as a reward for exemplary performance and conduct, I have flown in the back seat of an F-15, commanded formations of hundreds of people, learned and forgotten how to speak
Japanese, and briefly drove cars sideways as a hobby. It comes as no surprise that roller coasters and water parks no longer excite me.
I have also given to the community in ways other than my years of military service. I have donated time and money to a variety of charities and political organizations; Habitat for Humanity and the Association for Retarded Citizens. I once learned that
an old security guard had COBOL programming experience in the 70’s, and convinced him to re-enter that job market, multiplying his salaray several times over.
If I were to express my professional experience as a line graph, it would show steady progression over time, with a few significant bumps along the way. As do many youths who lack direction, I started in High School working in fast food. I quickly
tired of this and discovered the relatively luxurious comfort of call center work, where I could sit in a chair all day. I bounced around a series of call center jobs, working my way from Customer Service into Technical Support, and eventually
progressed into IT. From there, I have been able to branch into software development, platform architecture, and finally into the freeing world of independent contracting.
There have been lapses in this course; I briefly worked for myself doing computer repairs and helped my father run his retail company. I sold Kirby vacuums door to door in the freezing mud, exposed to the bitter cold of winter in northern Wyoming
while carrying this heavy metal beast from one house to the next. Direct Sales taught me a great deal about how people think, and how to marshal the thoughts as they form in peoples’ minds.
I even spent a year as a dispatcher for a transportation company, which handled taxis, airport shuttles, and limousines. During my tenure there, I learned to coordinate different teams of people with their own projects and timetables. This job
additionally provided me with a secondhand insight into the lives of the less fortunate and of those whose lives are riddled with poor decisions.
Some extraordinary circumstances have resulted from my work ethic and motivation to succeed. I’ve designed complex architectures, given presentations to teammates and executives, and coordinated interdepartmental projects. I’ve worked 48-hour shifts
over the holidays in pursuit of double-and-a-half overtime, migrated systems from Mainframe to server platforms, made multi-million-dollar decisions, and have written software that replaced people and entire departments.
I have made a few journeys into secondary education in the past. I went to a community college while I was still in high school. This venture ended promptly when I discovered this particular college employed teachers who didn’t understand the
material they taught. Deciding they had nothing to teach me, I tested out of two classes and was declared exempt from a third, acquiring a 4.0 GPA in a mere three days.
During my time in the Air Force, I had a great deal of training which provided credit through the Community College of the Air Force. There, I accumulated enough credits to come very close to a degree. With few more credits, I can attain
an Associates' degree in Tactical Aircraft Maintenance, for all the good that will do in the world of software.
I’m what you might call a born-again Atheist. That is, I choose to put my faith in humankind and the universe itself rather than a traditional higher power. In pursuit of this faith, I connected with the Universal Life Church, which employs a
person’s life experience as their seminary, under the belief that experience is the best teacher. Along with my nondenominational ordainment came an honorary Ph.D. in Metaphysics, though not through an accredited school. In pursuit of this
interest, I’ve published a series of sermons.
Recreationally, I am as versatile and widespread as I am professionally. In direct relation to the sedentary lifestyle which is so characteristic of computer geeks such as me, I’ve been known to watch an entire 7-year TV series in the span of weeks.
As a hobbyist/amateur photographer, I’ve driven thousands of miles on a whim for a photographic expedition. I’ve sat on a beach, below tide level, at night, to enjoy the sound of the ocean in peace. Once, I went to spring break in Panama City Beach
by accident – I was working nearby and happened to go out for a drive.
My father gave me a computer at the age of 5 and taught me how to program it. I was in awe of the vivid splendor I found when this machine would follow any instructions I issued it. Obviously I had to learn the proper way to give it these instructions,
but it would perform them flawlessly every time. Since then, computers have been a major interest and have had a significant place in my life. Computers are my games, my hobbies, my library; even my TV. Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect my jobs and
hobbies largely revolve around computers, and that’s exactly what’s happened.
I have met or exceeded every life goal I’ve ever set for myself. I’ve paid off cars and bought others outright, gotten exactly the jobs I’ve wanted, and done some extreme things in my life. I’ve designed, created, used, and destroyed things. I’ve
bested, jested, nested, rested, and tested. I've boated, coated, floated, gloated, noted, quoted, and toted. I've dived, high fived, and lived. I’ve flown, I’ve known, I’ve sewn; but most of all I’ve grown.
Clearly, I have led a varied and interesting life, and have every intention of continuing to do so. My various experiences and accomplishments have continually prepared me for the “Next Big Thing”. Now I look to the future, wondering and
simultaneously determining, “What will be the Next Big Thing?”
|
|
My Books:
(Amazon Author Page)
[ Kindle | Paperback ]
[ Kindle | Paperback ]
Browse:
Social:
Totally random word: selin
Totally random inbound search query:
shepards pie
Your request cost $0.00128 of my time.
Copyright © 2013 Kevin Connolly
|