Welcome

Greetings and salutations. Welcome to my website and blog. A bit of an introduction is in order.

A Little Bit About My Past

I grew up in Southwestern Ontario, moving around quite a bit during my childhood and adolescence. As a shy kid, I found solace in radio and music from the ’80 and 90’s. Designing mix tapes and building my record and tape collection became my passion. When it came to sports, my brother and I played a variety—I particularly excelled in badminton, road cycling, tennis, and both ice and street hockey during my teenage years.

Newspaper And Radio

I received a 2-year radio broadcasting diploma at S.A.I.T in Calgary and worked as an overnight announcer at High River radio station (CHRB AM 1140) for about 6 months. After my short-lived radio gig, I looked at other aspiring pursuits. I sold advertising space for a small community newspaper in London for about a year. I made a modest living, but sales were not for me! Newspaper media sales eventually opened the door to working in newspaper prepress and production.

Moved Out West

With an Electronic graphic design certificate under my belt, I eventually moved out West where I landed a graphic compositor role for a community newspaper in Red Deer. It paid a pittance in the early 2000s. This led me to work at the Edmonton Sun where I was responsible for typesetting and the production of the daily newspaper. Working in the Mac publishing environment allowed me to unleash my creativity, collaborate with my colleagues, and produce diverse print publications.

Digital Media, Internet And Mobile Devices

Amidst the gradual decline in newspaper print revenue, the industry underwent a significant transformation. Social media, responsive websites, and digital subscriptions emerged as the new standard. I delved into digital production as a hobby, creating websites, and YouTube videos, and started blogging. The first website I developed using templates was through Yahoo Geocities and Angelfire back in the late 90’s.

Computer Repair And Assembly

Besides creating digital content, I tinkered with repairing and upgrading desktop computers. Over the years, I assembled various desktop computers with different components, such as RAM, motherboards, cases, video cards, and hard drives, to suit my style and preferences. Since 2001, I built and refurbished several desktop computers modifying them to meet my needs. With some computer experience, I decided to get several certificates including CompTIA A+ computer repair and networking.

Career in Information Systems

After Sun Media underwent restructuring and layoffs in late 2012, I decided to pursue new career opportunities. I transferred to Information Systems in 2013 where I served as a computer desktop support and computer technician. I worked as a Technical Analyst and a HelpDesk Analyst for the next several years doing a variety of work — desktop support including onboarding and offboarding users, email administration, networking, phone, printer and application support and procurement.

Interests and hobbies

Striking a good work/ life balance is challenging, but I do my best. When I am not working, I spend quality time with my family cohorts: my beautiful wife and my 9-year-old daughter; we love to explore the outdoors and be adventurous. cycling, hiking, attending music festivals, camping, downhill skiing or doing some travelling.

---

We actively participate in a contemporary Christian church, whether through virtual gatherings or small Bible study groups. Our commitment to giving back to the community and modelling our behaviour after Jesus is central to our faithful and spiritual journey. We want to instill good core values and morals in our daughter — a positive growth mindset and caring and kindness towards others.

Moving forward in the future

Despite job layoffs and life’s curve balls, I have persevered and I remain optimistic. Technology is always evolving and changing…it is hard to keep up with, but I do my best to learn new things and upgrade my skills. I consider myself an adept digital content producer, a blended energizer and a charismatic catalyst when it comes to my dynamic work style, key strengths and core values.

I am adept at “bridging the tech gap” and being versed in several platforms and technologies to share and create new educational resources. This characteristic allows me to be very adaptable as an entrepreneur and spur positive change and collaboration with my peers.

Let’s Connect

Potential employers, friends and business partners can contact me by filling out the form on my website or emailing me. I look forward to connecting with you and reading your feedback.