Grace Hopper

gracedoodle (2)I had planned to write about my first ever  hack-a-thon  last weekend, but decided to give a quick shout out to Grace Hopper on the 107th anniversary of her birth today.

Little did I know almost(gulp a quarter of a century ago), the impact she would have on my life.

I took a beginning COBOL class at the Community College of Aurora in 1990.  I lucked into an entry-level programmer job at American Express as I was fortunate enough to have a shift supervisor who recommended me to the Application development manager.  Much to my delight, I was offered a position on this team.  It was a dream come true for me.  I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to do something I loved.

There was a time in my life where I couldn’t wait for Monday’s to come so I could go to work.

I worked for the same company for over 20 years.  In 1993 the division that I worked for was sold to First Data Corporation.  13 years later, my department was absorbed into Western Union.

I was lucky to be able to form close relationships with my development teams as I moved from an entry level programmer to a team lead and eventually moved into a management role.

I raised my family  and my wife and I were able to provide a college education for our children and many opportunities to travel and create wonderful family memories.

In 2010, the company that I worked at for 20+ years made the decision to eliminate our jobs and send the work overseas.

I find myself now looking to get back into programming.  I am attending a web immersion bootcamp at MakerSquare in Austin, Texas.

Thanks Grace, for the blessings you have brought to my life.