I began teaching myself software development in '99 at a young age. What started as my brother showing me some very basic HTML turned into a fascination that I had the power to control a computer.

I toyed with programming through junior high and high school on 233 MHz Gateway PC and a dial-up internet connection. I dropped out of college because a year and a half in, I was still paying thousands of dollars for mostly information that I already knew. On top of this, my grades were dictated by whether I was in Building X in Classroom Y from 8 AM to 9:50 AM, listening to a drone that didn't want to be there any more than I did.

So I dropped out and found a part-time job to pay the bills while I searched for a full-time job in software development. Holding fast to the concept that I didn't need a piece of paper that said I was good at being in a certain location at a certain time, I found one.

I've worked professionally in software development for 13 years, gotten married, had 3 kids, and in that time got sucked into the habits and thoughts that leached away my entrepreneurial spirit. It was reading books that reawakened the spirit in me to be of value instead of seeking to raise my value.

I still see much of my scripted tendencies crop up, and it's often hard to overcome them. I hope to find like-minded people that will serve as encouragement on my journey, even if it's just through hearing their attempts, failures, and eventual successes.