It's a great feeling when the work you do for a living is the same work you would do as a hobby in your spare time. This was not always been the case for me. As of a year ago, I was getting older in a world that I had a lack of passion for. I had always seemed to excel in almost any task that I pursued and for that reason I quickly moved up the managerial ladder in the retail world. The work was strenuous and the hours were horrible. I found myself a young man with no personal life. To me this was no way to live. Not only that, I was so consumed with my job that I lost focus on my family and of course my passion of web design.

For a year and a half I tried to convince myself that the glory of being such a young man in that position would justify all my sacrifice. After only a short time of repressing my true feelings, the constant reminder that this could be where I was at for a very long time took its toll. I mindfully resigned from my position while mediocre offers to stay on board were tossed my way.

I sought out a job in the banking field because I had known people in this position and was told the environment was more enjoyable than in retail. After doing just a few interviews I was quickly hired by a corporate banking system. Though the hours were better, the pay was far less and I soon came to realize that my opportunity to advance was limited. It had also become apparent that I had a lack of passion of taking and giving people their mass fortunes that I knew I would never see if I stayed this field.

So now my resume
In high school I was heavily involved in the business department. I was the school store\'s founder and manager. I was also an integral part of establishing Future Business Leaders of America (F.B.L.A.) for the school. With my ability and drive to excel I became this club's local and regional vice president. During that year myself and one other student competed regionally and qualified 2nd and 3rd in computer concepts and moved onto state competitions for F.B.L.A. I was also involved in many other clubs and sports including; theatre (vice president), history, graphic design, skiing, industrial design, tennis, football, and golf.

After High School I immediately went to Bloomsburg University to study business. While taking courses there, I came to realize that I did not want to make a living out of finding the best possible formula to take every cent possible from the common consumer. I took a year away from school to go out into the world and find my true calling. It was during this time that a good friend of mine reminded me of my love for computers. We spent numerous hours pushing eachother to the next level and teaching eachother what the other had learned along the way. It was because of this that I decided to go back to school and take up graphic design at a local community college.

My studies at community college were short lived because I was a young man trying to gain my independence and going to school so close to home reminded me too much of high school. I packed things up and went to Shippensburg University where I studied Computer Science. The classes were hard and the hours of study were outrageous, but I still found time to have fun. While at Shippensburg I obtained a position with Informational Design and Development Systems (IDDS). In this position I created tutorials for professors on how to use technology to better teach their students and offer course material in a modern fashion. After I left Shippensburg I continued to do work for IDDS but it was not enough to pay all the bills which led me into the world of management that I described earlier.

Moving to my current position
I was able to take all my experiences and put myself out into the job market to land where I am at now. I do design, advertising, and marketing for a rapidly growing web based company. Going into this position I thought I already had a vast knowledge of what I needed to know to be successful, but I was quite mistaken. Lucky for me, college also taught me the ability to learn. My current job has expanded my knowledge in many fields.

I wake up each day and look forward to the task that lay before me. My time has freed up and my lifestyle has changed so now I can focus on those people that really are the purpose of life. So now you see that what I do is not a job or even a hobby. What it really is, is a part of myself expressed on a canvas of 1024x768 pixels (give or take a coupleof hundred based upon resolution). Whether it be images, code, or search engine optimization, you are getting 100% of me and that's all I have to offer.