Who is the Retrospector?
Hmm, this is supposed to be the page where I tell you all about myself and the wonderful things I’ve done…yada yada yada. I think I’ll stick with a summarized version to hopefully just give you a vague picture about who I am, then a little about what I’m trying to do with this site.
Basically, I qualify myself as yet another software developer gone architect/project manager. I grew up a miliary bratt, worked at a university for 3 years while getting a computer science degree, dove into the commercial world when just saying the word “java” in an interview got you a reasonable offer before you left the room, worked up the corporate ladder through a few companies over the last 8 years, and settled into a lead position at a company near the city where my parents grew up. All the while, completely relating to the typical Dilbert atmosphere and laughing histerically at my monthly viewing of Office Space. Not to mention, raising a relatively large family (5 kids) can shed some different perspective on things. Being a proud father with my wife of over 10 years has really made the hard work worth something.
Through the years, I’ve been put in a variety of scenarios ranging from doing the lone-ranger web project from concept to delivery, to being on a team of 80 people working together to deliver highly sophisticated medical equipment. Neat stuff, yeah…but not all of it was a cake-walk. What I intend to communicate to you, the reader, are the many lessons learned along the way. Not everything is handed to you on a silver platter. Some projects allow you to just follow the leader to a successful finish line. Most of you, like me, have not always had that luxury. Many of us have to fend for ourselves sometimes to get things done. Well, “hindsight is almost always 20-20″ is a common phrase I hear, so I figured “Why not give some of my hindsight to the world?” in the form of this site.
Feel free to agree or disagree, I’m not trying to convince anyone to think one way or the other. I’m simply sharing my experiences (good and bad) to hopefully help you avoid some pitfalls, and maybe even have a few laughs along the way. (Yes, most likely at my expense, but such is life.)
So, with a hindsight perspective, i.e. in retrospect (thus, the Retrospector), I bring to you a collection of my observations, experiences, opinions, and sometimes unavoidable lessons from throughout my career.
– The Retrospector
