About

TL;DR

Hi, I’m Shawn and I like to talk about music, technology, and data. I’m a DIYer, father of 3, musician, software developer, data junkie, and general technologist. On my site you’ll find a mix of those topics, even some stuff that’s unrelated.

I hope you enjoy!

Music

I originally went to school for a Music Education degree (Actually, Jazz Studies at the amazing University of North Texas). It was a ton of fun, but highly competitive. Life happened shortly after that, and I found myself in a completely different industry. However, my passion for music, teaching and performance has never waned.

Technology

Currently, the stuff that really interests me are the worlds of Cloud Computing, Serverless, Functional Programming, Data Science and Machine Learning. In the past I’ve dealt heavily with the LAMP stack, been a full-stack javascript developer, worked in the dotnet world, worked with ETL systems, and navigated my way around development in the world of Salesforce.

In 2024, I’ve made a big attempt at public speaking. I have already accomplished a few technical talks at work, but also recently finished up a “Web Developer’s Guide to Rust” talk at Kansas City Developer Conference. It was an amazing experience! Check out my sessions on sessionize:

Data

I have a relatively new love affair with data and how it can be used to highlight relationships, connect people, and really drive points home. I look forward to utilize data with research efforts in the future. I’ll bring some of that research here on the site.

DIYer

I hate not knowing how to accomplish something. I also love to work with my hands. So soon after becoming a homeowner I spent a bunch of time on YouTube and HomeDepot.com learning how I can do stuff myself. Mostly, it’s about learning a new skill and showing yourself you can accomplish anything. But it also saves a ton of money, and waiting on contractors who not always care about the quality of work they provide. I’m a firm believer that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. DIY work epitomizes this mantra. Also, it proves that anything is possible. No gatekeeping necessary.

Dad

My journey as a father of three began in 2012, and it’s literally the best job I’ve ever had. My drive, passions, and commitment all are reflective of how having children has changed me (for the better). Though I’m passionate about many professional endeavors, my children and family always come first. We also have the privilege of hosting foreign exchange students, something I highly recommend to anyone who is able to do so.