The Story Behind the Content

My journey began at age six with Microsoft FrontPage. An accidental click on the HTML tab revealed the code behind the web. Changing a line of text and seeing the result live made me feel like a magical and powerful master of my own digital world.

Discovered the world of algebra with the book "Pre-calculus the Easy Way." I realized that manipulating mathematical symbols was just like manipulating code—a new language to shape and solve problems. I was hooked on the power of logical abstraction.

I helped redesign my dad's company website using Joomla and Virtuemart. This was my first glimpse into backend logic; I discovered that when you combine code with a database, it's not just displaying information anymore. You're creating a system that can do incredible things.

I dove into C++ and began training for the Canadian Computing Competition. While working through "Algorithms, 2nd Ed." from MIT Press, it became clear: for me, coding was the new math. It was the ultimate tool for logical problem-solving and creative expression.

Completed my first year at the University of Waterloo, pursuing an invigorating triple major in Computer Science, Combinatorics, and Pure Math. I landed my first internship in manual QA with the Canadian government (AAFC), where I quickly carved out a new role by building out their automated testing processes.

I took a break from my university studies to pursue a year of religious studies at a Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Before leaving, I got my first taste of "real-world" JavaScript, and my curiosity was piqued by talk of a fascinating new experiment called "React.js."

Returning from my sabbatical with a new drive for practical application, I briefly resumed my studies. However, I soon realized that a full-time role at Shopify, a company at the cutting edge of web development, was where I truly belonged. I chose to dive headfirst into building real-world products at scale.

With a child on the way, I took a chance on a long-time dream. After two years on the core web foundation team at Shopify, I landed a role at Google, first on Stadia and later on the Flutter core build infrastructure team. It was here I truly understood the power of abstraction at unlimited scale, seeing how one small improvement to developer productivity could compound into millions of dollars in saved time and effort.

After being impacted by layoffs at Google, I began a new chapter focused on real-world application. I discovered that many principles from large corporations don't always translate and saw the pitfalls of valuing "engineering beauty" over practical outcomes. This led me to develop critical skills in project management, estimation, and pragmatism, evolving my identity from a programmer into a solutions expert who uses code as a tool to deliver tangible value.