Who am I ...
I am a father, husband, follower of Christ, technologist, and fan of Soccer (and continually working to be better in each).
Short History
Somewhere along the line, I migrated from St. Joe Michigan to Grand Rapids. This happened after I went to Hope College, met a wonderful girl, found a job, and then decided to get married. Now I am considered a "West Sider".
I have been married for 25 years and we have 4 children (Aidan - Senior in college, Nadia Freshman in collage, Helena Jr at Calvin Christian and Owen...)
Fun Facts
Finish the sentence ...
"I'm awesome at..." :
Helping others with technology and having fun doing it.
I’m not so good at...”:
Cursive writing (or just penmanship overall).
Career
I am the co-founder of Augusto Digital. Augusto Digital is a custom software design, development, and consulting company
At Augusto I manage or Software Development Team and our Support Team. We have 12 employees and roughly 24 contractors. Our team is remote and we have people all over the country from Grand Rapids, Washington, Florida, India, Canada, and Philippines.
I also have another business called Tilde32, that maintains websites and does small projects
My Job
I manage people and projects in the tech world. My work ranges from building websites to creating complex applications. One enjoyable part of my job is getting to work with clients from all over the country!
With my team, we develop a variety of applications—everything from large websites to mobile apps for Android and iOS devices. It's a collaborative effort, and it’s exciting to see how our projects come together to help our clients succeed.
My main focus is helping my team succeed. I work to ensure that they can overcome any challenges or blockers they face, so we can deliver high-quality projects and services
What Did you Learn to Prepare you for your Career
Early Experimentation with Computers working with technology in middle and high school helped me realize my passion for computers and troubleshooting.
Vision One of the first business owners I worked for taught about vision. He said you should always be aware of your surroundings, and with that awareness: (Look for ways to help others., Always find something to do, and Be kind in all interactions).
From my father, I learned the value of hard work. He emphasized not just the effort itself, but also being willing to learn from both success and failure.
Lastly, I learned the importance of trusting family and friends. It’s okay to ask for help when you need it, and it’s equally important to be ready to help others when they ask.
Any advice for middle schoolers if they would like to get a Technology Career
Explore and Experiment Start exploring what you enjoy. Try coding, building projects, or even just tinkering with apps and games. There are tons of free tools and resources online to help you get started, like Scratch for coding or Raspberry Pi for building cool tech projects.
Learn Problem-Solving A big part of technical careers is solving problems. Pay attention in math and science, and challenge yourself to think creatively about solutions.
Stay Curious and Ask Questions Never stop asking "Why?" or "How does that work?" Curiosity is one of the most important traits in tech. If you don’t understand something, research it or ask someone who knows.
There are many jobs in technology
These jobs range from Software, Hardware, Design, and Data
Technology Careers
| Software | Design | Social Media & Marketing | Data | Hardware & Infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developer | UI/UX Designer | Social Media Manager | Data Analyst | IT Support Specialist |
| Web Developer | Graphic Designer | Digital Marketing Analyst | Data Scientist | Network Engineer |
| Mobile App Developer | Motion Graphics Designer | Content Strategist | Database Administrator | Hardware Engineer |
| AI/ML Engineer | 3D Modeler | SEO Specialist | Business Intelligence Analyst | Systems Administrator |
| Game Developer | Digital Product Designer | Email Marketing Specialist | Big Data Engineer | Cloud Solutions Architect |
FAITH
Faith & Career.
I feel incredibly blessed to be able to openly share my faith at work. I have two business partners, and we’re very open about our beliefs, which creates such a unique and supportive environment.
I notice the impact of my faith most during both the tough times and the good times.
When challenges arise, I can call one of my partners, and we’ll take a moment to pray together about the issue or decision at hand. That’s not something you find in most workplaces, and I’m so grateful for it.
In the good times, our faith guides us to focus on blessing and serving our employees, making sure we give back and lead with gratitude.
Activity
Creating an Application with AI (Artificial Intelligence)
We are going to create an app that will take an input of your Name and Zipcode and it will return the weather.
What Is AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is when we teach computers to think and make decisions like humans. It’s like giving a computer a brain—but instead of thoughts and feelings, it uses data, math, and logic.
For example, AI can help your phone understand when you ask, "What's the weather?" or help recommend videos you might like on YouTube. It learns patterns from lots of examples and gets better over time, kind of like how you get better at a video game the more you play.
So, AI isn’t magic—it’s just a really smart tool that learns and helps us solve problems faster!
