I’ve done software development for many years. I started out doing Mac and UNIX programming in C — back in 1990, I believe. I also did Mac programming in 4th Dimension at that time. I eventually learned C++ and OO analysis and design. I was working in the IT department at a major corporation by then. Since I was comfortable in both the Mac and UNIX worlds, I started getting involved in doing Enterprise Application Integration, as well as developing distributed systems using Forté 4GL. The division I was in switched from Macs to Windows PCs, so I started using Windows (though I always had a Sun workstation on my desk, as well). In time, I moved into consulting, and after a short stint doing that, went to work for a product company. I worked principally on integration technologies with a primary focus on developing tools for XML-based messaging — including SOAP support.

Then the dot-com bubble burst and the job market here in the San Francisco bay area tanked. A number of other things happened in my life at the same time, including my father becoming very ill. I took a career break at that time and that led me down an interesting path.

I had been so focused on my career for so many years that I had not even read any books that were not programming references or similar technical materials. When I took a step back, I rediscovered some lost loves — including literature, critical theory and philosophy — and I found myself reflecting quite a bit on my whole life — where I had been and where I was going. I have since become a Zen buddhist and continue to pursue this and other interests. But once a programmer, always a programmer, so I have once again returned to the field of software development.

Returning to work after an absence seemed a bit of a challenge, at first. I decided not to wait for someone to hire me, but to simply dive in and get busy doing development again. So I purchased a new PC with Ubuntu Linux, downloaded a suite of development tools for J2EE and web development and am now actively engaged in pursuing self-education, refreshing my skills and pursuing independent development projects while I try to find permanent employment or contract gigs.

I have decided to write about this experience as I go forward, so that is what this blog is about. I am really enjoying this, so far. I’ve been bitten by the programming bug all over again and have found myself too often still working on my PC late into the night (or early morning). I’ve had to start disciplining myself to remember to quit at a reasonable hour and go to bed. It reminds me of when I first started programming with my Mac.

Now, I’m kicking off this blog and am in the process of setting up a website for myself. I’m learning a new set of skills as I do this. I’ve worked on many web projects in the past, but I always worked on a team where someone else did all of the front-end web work — I always did back-end server programming. I understand markup quite well because of my experience with XML, but learning all of the CSS and JavaScript tricks web designers employ to make web sites look nice is new to me. I’m enjoying it, though, and hopefully I’ll do a good job with this blog and my website. We’ll see.