Growing up I was always around computers (both hardware and software) I remember my mother built me my first computer back in 1996. It ran Windows 95 and my usage on the computer was mainly for gaming, but it was the challenge of using DOS based commands to get games installed that gave me an aptitude for software since I was a child. Both my parents were in the telecom business during the advent of the Internet which made conversations about servers, clients and computing layers a basic subject. Many times my parents would bring problem computers from work to our home where we'd troubleshoot hardware and software issues. From a very early age I was building and repairing personal desktop computers; swapping out parts, partitioning harddrives, installing Operating Systems and extracting data from corrupt drives. When I moved away to college I had a variety of interest which I pursued of which Finance took presidence. Looking back I am somewhat surprised I didn't do my undergrad in Computer Science.
I have worked on a handful of engagements which have exposed me to the Software Development Life Cycle. Specifically what I have learned is what makes good quality Software. I've based my career on testing, however with an increased desire to enter the Development Arena I have taken an assortment of courses at the post-graudate level all of which are around Computer Science. Currently, I am enlisted in the City College of San Francisco "Computer Programming: Java Certificate", which serves to (a) accumulate units towards a Masters in Computer Science and (b) exposure to Software Development using the Java language.
I see myself in the not so distant future entering the Software Development Arena, the time horizon on this no more than one year. Preferably, my vision is that I am in a capacity where I am making significant contributions to Developing the application: Store Vision Platform.