Background:
I grew up back and forth between Calgary, and Cold Lake, Canada where I finished my high school education. I am currently in Perth, Australia on a temporary work visa.
Education:
I graduated in 2006 from the University of Calgary with a B.Sc. My major was Computer Science, and my concentration was Software Engineering. Although Software Engineering was my focus, I expressed interest in a wide range of study topics throughout my University Career, including Databases, Human Computer Interaction, and Distributed Computing. In Software Engineering I was introduced to topics like Requirements Engineering, Reliability Engineering, and Process Improvement. I was also part of a year-long Software Engineering project in my final year. The course was designed to simulate industry, and involved real clients with real projects. My group’s project was to fully implement and deploy a web-based auction system for a non-profit organization, and proved to be a large success.
Work:
I started in the oil and gas industry soon after high school graduation for Veritas DGC Land (now CGG Veritas) – an oilfield exploration company. I had only planned on working as a field worker for a short while to save some money for university, but ended up staying with the company for 6 years in a variety of full-time and part-time technical positions, while working through my University education. I had many opportunities for growth and travel, and my employer was always understanding of my studies.
Before my first year of University I spent an entire year with Veritas working in remote areas across Western Canada, and in the North-West territories. I was fortunate enough to get paid for heli-hiking and off-roading in some of the most beautiful countryside in all of North America!
When I started University full-time, I worked out of Veritas’ Calgary facility as a ground equipment repair technician, which involved some basic circuitry and understanding of electronics in general. I spent my summers working in their head office in Houston, TX. I was also responsible for field support occasionally and had the pleasure of visiting some other states including Louisiana, Kansas, and Colorado.
After my 3rd year of University, Veritas GeoServices offered me a summer position with their programming group. I spent the summer mainly scripting in an effort to automate certain processes. After my summer term, I was offered a part-time position for my last year of University, as an E-Services developer for their Geomatics group (now Devestco) working on an application called i2Services.
In 2006, immediately after graduation, I joined with Online Business Systems – a professional services firm. I worked for Online on an oilfield project for Kinder Morgan – one of the largest crude oil pipeline companies in North America.
In 2008, my wife accepted a transfer to Perth, Australia, and upon moving here, I started with a mining consulting / software company called Runge. They are a well established, global company but I am working for a very entrepreneurial group within called Mining Dynamics. So, I get the best of both worlds. The product is pretty cutting edge, and the rest of the company calls us their ‘test tube baby’. 
In addition to my work in oil & gas and mining, I have also accepted and completed numerous web-based software projects for a non-profit organization, called Talk About Wildlife. I’ve also largely developed a sports networking web-based application for an organization called Racquet Network. My latest project is small web-based application for a Christian non-profit organization called Cosmos Health NEW!.
Hobbies / Interests:
Surfing NEW!, Skiing, Snowboarding, Hiking, Camping, Quads, Skidoos, Cycling, Squash, Music, and spending time with my wife, friends, and family.
