Own a small working farm with goats, chickens, and rabbits; set priorities and oversaw animal care, feeding, health monitoring, and habitat maintenance through remote planning and periodic site visits rather than living on the property full-time. Forest and stream management, permaculture-oriented planning, and evaluating potential for aquaculture reinforced a practical grasp of land stewardship, seasonal cycles, and how vegetation and animal welfare interact.
Purchased, upgraded, and managed a single-family investment property, overseeing all aspects of exterior and interior improvement. Worked hands-on with construction crews on home renovation projects — including yard work, drainage, and landscaping. Developed a keen eye for property condition, structural integrity, and outdoor safety. Gained practical experience operating tools, coordinating with tradespeople, and managing projects from planning through completion.
Operated CNC machinery in a production environment, cutting and shaping wood components to precise specifications for custom cabinetry. Built practical familiarity with wood grain, material behavior, and tooling. Maintained strict quality standards and performed routine machine maintenance. Operated a forklift to move heavy material through the facility, including careful maneuvering in tight spaces.
Performed residential custom home framing as part of a skilled framing crew. Work involved heavy physical labor, precise measurement, and safe handling of large lumber through all stages of structural framing. Developed familiarity with wood species, grain characteristics, and how loads move through a frame. Worked at height when required and coordinated closely with the crew on demanding, fast-paced tasks.
Traveled internationally with a mission team to provide construction support. Performed physical labor on an orphanage build site alongside skilled tradespeople, demonstrating initiative, adaptability, and commitment to service in demanding conditions.
Developed test automation code in C# for a microservice orchestration application. Refactored the test suite to support parallel test execution, integrated LaunchDarkly to mock downstream service failures, and implemented retry policies using Polly. Focused on systematic debugging, clear expectations for quality, and reliable delivery under complex dependencies.
Full-stack software engineer on the EPA's Energy Star Portfolio Manager — a federal platform used by building owners and managers nationwide to track and reduce energy consumption. Collaborated in a context where efficiency and environmental reporting were central to the product. Grew from junior developer to owning complex features, with emphasis on initiative, independent learning, and sustained ownership of production systems.
Database-focused development on large-scale government systems. Identified and resolved performance bottlenecks independently, tracing issues through layers of legacy logic and data volume.
Performed production duties at a manufacturer of professional camera equipment, working to exacting quality standards. Emphasized repeatable accuracy, careful handling of finished assemblies, and steady pace without sacrificing precision.
Assisted customers at the parts counter with identifying components, hardware, and accessories; looked up parts from diagrams and vendor catalogs; pulled and staged orders and maintained organized stock. Worked closely with the service department to supply correct parts on time. Learned to translate vague descriptions into the right part numbers and to double-check fitment against real-world trailer and towing configurations.