Latest Posts
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Unemployed, Take 2: Dust in the Wind
The coding bootcamp that got me into the tech industry was bought out and renamed. In September of 2019, Chegg purchased Thinkful. They eventually decided to rename it to Chegg Skills.
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Unemployed, Take 2: This is Forty
Today, I turned forty.
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Unemployed, Take 2: Balatro
So, after reading numerous glowing reviews, I finally broke down and started playing Balatro.
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Unemployed, Take 2: What Happens When You Go Viral on LinkedIn
Well, it happened again. I once again went viral on LinkedIn, this time for making a meme about Workday.
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Unemployed, Take 2: Day 8
Two of the biggest highlights of my tech career thus far have been attending RailsConf in both 2022 and 2023. It was my first time visiting either Portland, Oregon or Atlanta, Georgia, and I reveled in the opportunity to be a tourist in a strange new city. I found the speakers, panels, and workshops I attended both years to be both informative and entertaining. The people I met helped me feel like part of a larger community of Ruby on Rails developers. And the exhibit hall opened my mind to the different possibilities a career specializing in the Rails platform could lead to. Each year, I came back with pages of notes, dozens of connections, and an eagerness to bring the lessons I had learned back to the companies I worked for.
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Unemployed, Take 2: Day 7
Oops. I missed a day. Now, I never promised I would update this blog every day, but I was curious how long I could keep the chain of posts going. Three days. That’s how long.
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Unemployed, Take 2: Day 5
Well, I am definitely sick. And though it is not a surprise, it’s still not an ideal situation. If ever I needed my full mental and physical faculties, it is now.
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Unemployed, Take 2: Day 4
I woke up with a sore throat and a cough this morning. After taking care of a sick wife, it was probably the least surprising thing that has happened to me this week. It’s still not ideal though, particularly when I’m expected to be the announcer at a professional wrestling taping this Sunday.
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Unemployed, Take 2: Day 3
On Tuesday, Volt let me go after less than a month working for the company. My wife woke up with a fever. I had to work with an exterminator to get rid of an infestation of clvoer mites. And the Frosty machine at my local Wendy’s was broken. It was not a good day.
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Derek meets the Colonel
See Derek Houck in KFC’s new Smokey Mountain BBQ commercial featuring the amazing reactions of Trista Robinson and a Colonel Sanders that is definitely not Reba McEntire.