As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with science and technology, both in execution and philosophically. I have tried to keep a respectable distance as my bandwidth in the past allowed only allotted so much time to indulge (pun intended), but I’ve always felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Another interest of mine, art, in its many forms of expression, has been the other side of that coin. Whatever I endeavored to do, I found a way to focus on the technical or scientific side of things, but balanced that with creative expression. The culmination of these efforts put me on a path where both of these worlds happily co-exist.

The first opportunity to truly engage in this duality of purpose was when I channeled my entrepreneurial spirit (read “ready-fire-aim”) and opened an award-winning local craft brewery in Denver. Understanding and respecting the importance of the many principles of fermentation science was critical. However, great beer is only achieved if artistic expression is intertwined with science as well. Never being afraid to listen to any muse, my inspirations came from seemingly unrelated abstract concepts, to technical brewing challenges, and sometimes just because. After an amazing seven years, my journey in that world ended.

Along with the countless lessons on running a business, I have so many memories to cherish, some of the more profound moments were winning the most coveted medals in the craft beer industry--two Gold and one Silver Great American Beer Festival medals and a World Beer Cup Bronze medal. I have so much pride in those accomplishments, and gratitude for the people that helped me get there, but that door had to close so a new door could open. This door was into the world of software development and technology. I was excited to my core to throw the white belt on again and delve into the world I have yearned to join for so long.

The path I chose to start this new journey was not an easy one, but I felt so compelled to pursue software development, I first committed myself to an intense three-month full time boot camp offered through the University of Denver. I learned so much, in such a short time, and had exposure to many incredible technologies. I was salivating to put these new skills to task and immediately worked as a contractor to move my story forward.

Having been a self-taught brewer starting out in my garage, to sharing the stage with some of the most notable names in the craft beer industry and competing on that level, I fully understand and appreciate the work that needs to go into mastering a craft, whatever that may be. Not satisfied with my knowledge (to be honest, I never am about anything), I was looking to build upon my newfound skills. This led me to my next amazing experience at the Techtonic Group, having been accepted into their software developer apprenticeship program. I learned so much more about coding and the software development lifecycle. This included a much deeper dive into wireframing, MVP scoping, Scrum, and other agile methodologies.

When my cohort transitioned to the floor, I was introduced to the Product Management department. I’ve been told being a Product Manager is like a calling, and this is the only way I can describe it. The principles of this craft spoke to me immediately. The balance of leveraging my technical knowledge with softer interpersonal skills, servant leadership, problem solving, communication skills, and exercising my EQ was a perfect storm I was more than happy to get caught in. I shifted gears and dove into this field in earnest.

The culmination of all of my experiences has led to my focus on a career in product management. I love talking to engineers about technical requirements, then translating that to other stakeholders. Inversely, gathering requirements from non-technical stakeholders, and finding a way to translate that to an executable MVP is a welcomed challenge as well. I feel such satisfaction in breaking down communication barriers and helping develop a cohesive team that can accomplish anything. Thanks for visiting, please reach out if you want to talk.