This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Andrew
Hello Dev Community!
Who I am:
In your best GoT/welsh accent Sir Andrew Conway, first of his name!
But you can just call me Andy 🙂
I was born in the very late 1900’s (1999). I am from a small town outside of Cleveland, OH. I now reside in California for the time being, and have been here for 2 years. Before that, I lived in North Carolina for 3 years, and I lived an hour outside of Hiroshima for 2 years before that! I am in the military, have a loving wife and two dogs: Buster and Deku. My life revolves around learning and consistently striving to be better. I love fitness, learning, and cooking. I also love to play videogames, specifically strategy games like Total War: Warhammer, or RPG’s like the Elder Scrolls Series or Mass Effect.
I grew up very poor, but always had a video game console in my life. This was an early start to my curiosity with video game development, although I never fully acted on it. Instead, I joined the military at 18 years old, and have worked on avionics equipment for the past 8 years (basically anything electronic in the cockpit of military aircraft).
Immediate “tech” goals:
-Learn Python (enough to operate it without consistent references)
-Develop a project portfolio
-Learn how to not rage quit ‘Git’
-Connect with others in the tech industry
About My Education:
I am currently a senior at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and am graduating with my bachelor’s in Business Administration in October of 2025. I’ll be the first in my family to finish college! Admittedly, this is not the degree I wanted, but due to my constant moving from state to state, I have only been able to do online college. I also chose to switch my major three times (From Psychology to Computer Science to Business Administration), which didn’t help my progression. Anyways, it’s taken me 5 years to get my bachelors, and while I’m happy I got it, I am left wanting more. But what exactly is more?
To me, I think that more is this world of computers and all that goes with it. From front-end development to machine learning, game development, and even blockchain, I am heavily intrigued by it all. I came to a realization recently, though, that I barely know anything about it! I know about as much as the next guy (maybe) about computers. Maybe I know a little more than a newbie newbie, as I am familiar with certain JS, HTML, CSS, Python, and C++ syntax and rules, but could not write a full program to save my life, unless it is “hello world”.
I aim to change that.
Why Write About It?
Almost every great mind in history had a journal. A journal in which they talked about their struggles in life and in their work, their thoughts on the universe, and even wild thoughts that came to them, like the great flying machine that Leonardo Da Vinci would etch out in his numerous notebooks. My point is that journaling helps us piece apart our thoughts. It’s a way for us to sit down and analyze what we did and what we think by forcing those thoughts and emotions to be processed as words to paper (or to a screen, in this case). Writing is a powerful tool. So powerful, that we as humans base our society off of writings, like policy and constitutions.
I choose to write about my journey so I can document my successes and my failures. I want to express what I am struggling with, like the “I almost threw my laptop out the window because of Git” moments, and so others can see they’re not alone. Maybe someone will read what I am struggling with and a lightbulb will go off in their head on their specific issue. Maybe someone will offer advice that will help me along in my journey. Who knows?
I wish to make the world of computers my full-time job one day. Whether that is with a company or on my own after retirement from service. I yearn to understand the things that have grown to massive popularity in the 2000’s. I wish to contribute to the ever expanding development of technology in our society. My generation, Generation “Z” (Although I claim to be a “Zillenial”, which are the kids born between 1997 and 2000), is the first generation to be born into and grow up in a world with consistent access to the internet. I have lived my whole life with the internet, from dial-up to smartphones to AI. And I want to be part of building what comes next. This all starts with experimentation, and documentation, wargaming and lessons learned, growth through defeat and victory.
Thank you all for being here. Follow along if you wish! And any advice is highly appreciated. Below are my socials that you can follow, as well!
All the best,
Andy
Included Socials:
-Instagram: @asketoswellness
-TikTok: @asketoswellness
-GitHub: https://github.com/aconway339
-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewconway2
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Andrew