Josh Aguilar
A bit about me (and maybe some A.I. generated art)
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A Brief Summary:
The tl/dr version.
Hello world, my name is Josh; it's great to have you here! Creating software, solving problems, helping others, working together as a team, customer satisfaction—this is what I'm passionate about and deeply committed to. Since 2018, I have rigorously developed my programming ability through online learning, and through studying CSE at Western Michigan University. Although I have formal education in computer science, most of my skills are self-taught. I've successfully completed many tutorials and coding challenges, built projects both big and small, and have earned respected certificates. I have developed ios applications, games, and several flask web apps. Python is the language that I've committed most of my time to learning, and is what I am most experienced with. However, I also have a decent understanding of C, C#, Swift, Java, SQL, and a dash of Javascript sprinkled in. I consider myself a life-long learner, and with my passion for education, I continuously progress with the help of online resources, and communities.
Feel free to check out my certificates and take a peek at my portfolio! If you'd like to know more about my story, read on!
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Introduction:
From flying helicopters to Software Engineering.
I was raised in beautiful Colorado and lived there almost my entire life. I studied aviation and moved to Michigan after I received my pilot's license, in 2015. Believe me when I tell you that learning to fly a helicopter along the Colorado front range was an unforgettable experience. However, shortly after moving to Michigan, I decided not to continue professional flight-training, and instead, I chose to change majors.
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The seed is planted:
My first exposure to programming.
My first exposure to programming was when I was a freshman in high school, sometime around 2003. In computer class, they taught us how to program a website with HTML. I fondly remember one assignment that required us to reproduce a webpage advertisement of our choosing. Being the class clown, I picked what my 13-year-old brain thought was hilarious at the time: an ad for "the headblade"—a razor designed just for bald men. Despite initially being a joke, it turned out that re-creating a perfect copy of that headblade advertisement was absolutely satisfying! It would take a while, but eventually I would think back to this moment and realize this is exactly what sparked my love for coding.
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A change of course:
Switching majors, and navigating Covid.
Fast-forwarding through a lot of life, I completed a Python bootcamp in 2018 through Udemy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a reminder that coding was, for me, intrinsically rewarding. With each programming solution providing little bursts of dopamine, I was hooked. I officially decided to pursue a career in software engineering, and I switched majors. Unfortunately, after almost two years into my computer science degree, Covid happened. My college ended all in-person classes, and I ended up contracting a fairly severe case of the disease myself. I decided to leave college temporarily, as a direct result of the disease. Initially, I was discouraged, and I felt that Covid had completely changed the world of education. However, after a lot of successful self-guided learning, I can confidently say I have developed far more practical skills online than what I was receiving through traditional education.
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A tiny tangent:
Top-down learning is better than bottom-up.
I feel strongly that the traditional computer science taught in colleges could be a lot better. The bottom-up approach—the theoretical focus, and the weak practical skill development—is disappointing. Don't get me wrong, the fundamentals are important. And to be clear, I've studied fundamental CS concepts through my brick-and-mortar college, Harvard's introduction to computer science, and other online sources, all of which greatly captured my interest. I simply feel that the traditional approach to teaching students how to code is outdated. It's the top-down approach of diving headfirst into exciting projects and concepts that has allowed me to gain the necessary skills for this career, and most importantly, remain interested.
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What I'm up to now:
Entering the job market.
As of deploying my personal website, I am intrepidly entering the job market. I am currently looking for a full-time software engineering position, and I am excited to see what the future holds. I am confident that my passion for coding, and my ability to learn quickly, will allow me to succeed in this field, and be an asset to any team.
I love sharing what I know and helping others, so please feel free to reach out anytime. I look forward to connecting with you!
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Education and Certificates
Harvard - CS50 - Introduction to Computer Science (10 weeks)
EdX Verified - Introduction to Computer Science (10 weeks)
FreeCodeCamp - Scientific Computing With Python (300 hours)
Udemy - Learn C# While Building a Mobile Platformer (20 hours)
Udemy - The Modern Python3 Bootcamp With Colt Steele (32 hours)
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Hobbies & Interests
When I'm not coding up my next project, I'm usually spending time with my lovely wife. I love aviation too, so you might even find me at the local airport getting ready for what I like to call a therapy flight. I also enjoy the outdoors: hiking, biking, skating, and camping. And if I'm not outside, then I'm hiding in my house getting the reps in on my playstation controller. Finally, in case you're wondering, I also love owls, and I consider them to be my spirit animal!
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Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Joshua Aguilar