DEV Community: Springfield Devs

A Transplant's Tech Community Impact

Springfield Devs — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 23:40:41 +0000

A California transplant discovers purpose and community in the heart of the Ozarks.

German Cruz’s journey began in the bustling city of Bakersfield, California, in an (almost certainly chaotic) household with nine siblings. Like many kids, his middle school days were less about academic success and more about the next opportunity to hit the basketball court with friends. However, a turning point came when his older brother noticed German's disinterest in school. His brother saw a leadership quality in German and intervened, guiding him to focus on his academic path and future. He encouraged German to enroll in advanced and college-preparatory classes throughout high school while German maintained his extracurricular success.

With the unwavering support of his high school counselor and brother, German thrived academically. By the time graduation approached, he had the pick of schools. He struggled to choose between big-name and Ivy League Universities. Yet, the looming tuition led him to a pragmatic decision. German chose to pursue higher education locally, enrolling in a four-year university program.

College life, however, presented its own set of challenges. General education classes failed to spark his interest, and his initial dip into programming was tougher than anticipated. In his first programming course, German struggled to put it all together. Instead of toughing the class out and hoping for the best, German took initiative and took a strategic step back. He decided to start at the beginning of the book that the course was flying through. He focused on the fundamentals at the beginning, and took time to solidify the concepts before moving on. By the end of the class, he was soaring above the rest. His love of programming had been solidified. Despite this victory, German's college journey was interrupted by personal challenges, including his mother's diagnosis with cancer. Noticing the tech industry’s growing acceptance of non-traditional education, German decided to lean into the idea that a University maybe wasn’t required.

This brings German to the year 2020. As COVID ran through California, job opportunities dwindled. An invitation from a friend to relocate to Arkansas presented German with new opportunities and a renewed excitement for the future. In Arkansas, German continued sharpening his development skills and eventually completed an online program.

The job hunt that followed was tough, but persistence led him to an instructor position with Codefi. The only problem was that it was located in Kentucky. Meaning a move to a new state with no social support. Despite his initial nerves about moving and adapting to a new industry, German excelled, eventually relocating to Springfield to join Codefi's office in the e-factory.

In Springfield, German became an integral part of the Code Labs program, which aims to provide tech education and practical training to students from diverse backgrounds. German draws on his own personal struggles with the traditional education path to support students in his courses. His commitment to fostering the tech community has led him to the SGFDevs group. But not only participating, but leading. He’s recently been inducted to the SGFDevs Board of Directors!

Springfield has not only been a nurturing ground for German's career but has also offered him a platform to give back and uplift others. Looking ahead, German is brimming with project ideas and hopes to eventually write a book! The SGFDevs community will be watching in anticipation as German finds more and more success in his career!

If you're curious to hear more abut German's career with Codefi, read on below for his experience in his own words!

With Codefi, I get to work with highly skilled individuals who are passionate about their work and are always looking for ways to improve. I am excited to be a part of a team that is dedicated to making a difference in Southern Missouri and the tech industry.

As a software developer and a code coach at Codefi, I get to have the opportunity to make such a big impact in the community.

I started out as a code coach for Codefi and let me tell you, it's definitely been a fun ride! When I agreed to become a code coach for Codefi I started to think, "How can I be a great teacher?" I was actually told that I had the potential to be a good teacher from other teachers at a younger age.

It's funny because, very early on, before teaching participants of the Code Labs program, I had decided to watch a movie called "Stand and Deliver" which I had already watched earlier in my teenage years. It's a movie about a teacher who teaches calculus to a group of students in a school system that is struggling academically. The teacher, Jaime Escalante, is a very passionate teacher who is dedicated to helping his students succeed. He's known to be a tough teacher but he's also known to be a great and caring teacher. What resonated with me was the idea that despite the struggles these students went through, they were able to succeed because of the teacher's dedication to them. There was this one quote that really stuck with me,

"There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of those two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do. Math is the great equalizer... When you go for a job, the person giving you that job will not want to hear your problems; ergo, neither do I. You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else. And the only thing I ask from you is ganas. Desire.... If you don't have the ganas, I will give it to you because I'm an expert."

This movie has led me to the idea of being patient and understanding but also firm. I am definitely a believer that being in uncomfortable situations helps you grow.

Though, there are multiple angles to being a lead code coach for Codefi and I've learned so much from it.

My love for the program also stems from the idea of figuring out how I can elevate the learning environment through curriculum development. How can I create a space where everyone feels comfortable and confident in their learning? How can I make sure that everyone is set up to succeed?

There are strategies initiated to help create this environment

Building trust - It's important to build trust with the participants to help create a comfortable space for them to learn.
Being patient - It's important to be patient with the participants. Everyone is at different levels and it's important to understand that.
Being firm - It's important to be firm with the participants. It's important to be able to push them to their limits.
Modeling - It's important to model the behavior you want to see in the participants. It's important to show them that you are dedicated to their success.
Showing passion in teaching - It's important to show that you care about the participants and their success.
Showing passion in coding - It's important to show that you are dedicated to the craft and as you may know, energy is contagious.

Furthermore, I would say I am a caring individual and from my point of view, I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and grow in the tech industry. When I first started to teach, I never did expect the idea of it being more than teaching. I've learned that it's more about being a mentor. Of course, I had somewhat of a glimpse from Stand and Deliver but to be put into the position of being a mentor was a whole new experience.

You start to realize that everyone is different and in different areas of life. I've taught individuals who are in their 40s and are looking to change their career path. I've also taught individuals who are in their 20s and are looking to get into the tech industry. I've taught mothers, fathers, grandparents, high school students, college students and more.

I've learned we are complex individuals with various variables that make us who we are. There are two broad sides of the challenge of being a great teacher. The first is the emotional aspect of it. You have to be able to understand that everyone is different and everyone has their own hardships. Everyone is in it to make a huge difference in their lives. Why I love this job at Codefi is the idea of being able to help people succeed. There's a genuine care for the participants of the program that we as Code Coaches develop. There's been times I stay up as late as midnight helping students with their code. I've had students come to me with personal issues and I've helped create a comfortable space to do just that. I've had students who have been struggling with the program and I've been able to help them through it. You create a lifelong bond.

The second side of the challenge is the technical aspect of it. Everyone has different backgrounds. Different set of numbers of hours spent towards the field. Beginners, intermediate, advanced. You have to be able to teach in a way that everyone can understand. We as Code Coaches follow a curriculum that is designed to help everyone garner the skills they need to succeed in the tech industry.

I teach, build and write the curriculum for the training program for participants. This involves writing code, creating projects, reading materials, uploading videos of lesson materials and much more. The curriculum is well thought out and I would say it is the most comprehensive curriculum I've seen. The key components of the curriculum include programming languages, full stack development, databases, version control, development workflow and life cycles and more. It is an enriched curriculum that is designed to help participants succeed in the tech industry. We know that the tech industry is always changing and we are always looking for ways to improve the curriculum. So to do just this, we take the time to understand the latest technologies, the latest trends and tools to help improve student capabilities but we also have to understand that the core concepts of the field for software development is the same in a basket of different technologies but offer different ways of doing it and capabilities.

I think the idea of success in the program can vary but for me as a Code Coach, yes it is about the success of the participants. The way we measure success as a program is when a participant can take the skills taught by the program and create an opportunity for them to be employed in the tech industry. We also see students freelance and even create their own businesses. From a personal objective, my aim in every class is this: my mission is to get the 'oooooh!' or the 'ah ha!' lightbulb moments from the participants. The passionate moments where they are able to understand the material and are able to apply it.

Teaching has been a great experience for me and I've learned very much from it. It's scary to think of the unknown but I've learned that it's okay to be scared. It's okay to be nervous. It's okay to be anxious. It's okay to be excited. It's okay to be happy. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to be angry. It's okay to be frustrated. It's okay to be confused. It's okay to be lost. It's okay to be found. It's okay to be you. It's okay to be human.

In a dark room, we hope our light shines bright enough to help others find their way.

Currently, it's been apparent that with the emergence of A.I, the educational system is going to change. The idea of being able to teach individuals how to code with A.I is going to be a huge part of the future. As we move forward, we are going to see a lot of changes in the tech industry. I am excited to be a part of that change. When it comes to the educational scene along with A.I, I predict that A.I will play an integral role in a fast paced learning environment. When it comes to scalability and the ability to teach dozens of dozens of students, A.I can be used by each student as a personal tutor. So I think with this technology, it's going to be a huge game changer in the educational scene in a way that will boost learning. In response to A.I this past year, it's the very reason why the program now is much more difficult in terms of material than it was before from the previous years since we now have a tool that can help us learn at a faster pace but also at a more difficult pace. At the very same time, there are instances however where the auto-complete from things like GPT or co-pilot can be detrimental to someone's learning. Code Labs recognizes the possibilities of A.I and we are always looking for ways to improve the program, the curriculum and the learning experience for the participants. We plan to gather our experiences with A.I as Code Coaches from these past two years and seek to understand how we can use A.I to help us teach better.

Although it has become my passion to uplift communities through teaching individuals software development, my other passionate side comes from the other side of my work for Codefi. I am a software developer who works on internal applications as well as with startups to help them build their products and services. I'm very passionate about all the applications I've built and currently are working on.

I've worked on more than multiple projects and teams during my tenure at Codefi. Currently, I am a lead for two applications; the Code Labs Dashboard, a learning management system where we foster a wide variety of features to help boost the learning experience for the participants of the Code Labs program and a application called "Co-angler" where users are able to connect with each other through fishing trips via social interaction.

Each application faces its own set of challenges. The Code Labs Dashboard is challenging since the development includes the way the program is structured. We don't want to recreate the wheel but instead want to think creatively how we can use our experiences and thoughts on practicalities into the learning environment through the dashboard. This is our advantage to the program, we are able to think outside the box and create a learning environment that is unique to the program.

The problem we previously faced within these past couple years had to do with the idea of the program recording participant progress. A process in which will allow participants to keep track of the amount of work they have to do. Since it's pretty common to establish an agile workflow through tech teams, we created a customized workflow for students to experience epics, sprints and tasks to learn about workflow under deadlines in the dashboard throughout the program. It's an organized manner that allows students to understand the importance of deadlines and the importance of managing their time.

Again, our biggest advantage as a program is the idea of being able to think outside the box and try things and not be afraid to go beyond the norm. We are not afraid to try new things and we are not afraid to fail.

Co-Angler, on the other hand, is a different challenge. The application is designed to help users find fishing trips, create fishing trips, join fishing trips, chat with other users, create a profile and more. The company along with the app was first thought of by a Code Labs participant by the name of John Bledsoe. John Bledsoe is a very passionate individual who is dedicated to the idea of creating a community of anglers. He's been a great individual to work with and I am excited to see the future holds for Co-Angler. It's also great to see how things came full circle. John Bledsoe was a participant of the Code Labs program and now he's an active participant of Codefi through the startup programs. It's great to see how the program has helped him and how he's been able to create a business out of it.

I can't express how much I enjoy the intricacies of building applications. Nothing is better than tackling a difficult problem and being able to solve it. What's more exciting is there's so much to learn and so much to do.

As I grow into the tech industry, I am excited to see what the future holds and how I can make a difference in the tech industry.

I have a series of ideas and projects that I am working on and I am excited to see them come to life and how they make a difference in the world. One such idea I like to talk about is the idea of creating a year round book. This book would revolve around the idea of 'Web Development in 'year number'' that would indicate the overview of the web development industry for that year. It would include the latest technologies, the latest trends, the latest projects, the latest startups, the latest applications, the latest tools, the latest resources, the latest news and much more. I think it would be a great resource for individuals who are looking to get into the tech industry as well as seasoned veterans. People will be able to use this book as an overview of important topics rather than having to stress about keeping up with the day to day fast pace tech industry. I believe that this book would be a great resource for the tech industry and I am excited to see it come to life.

I am definitely a firm believer in being involved in communities. I hope to become a part of the tech industry in a way that I can make a difference. As I continue on my venture to learn, fail and build, it is in my best interest to always make sure to take myself, family and friends into this journey.

Kayla's Journey to a Better Tomorrow

Springfield Devs — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 14:17:40 +0000

Have you ever met someone whose story just makes you sit up and listen? That's Kayla Paden for you – a breath of fresh air in Springfield's tech scene. Her path to web development isn't your typical tech journey, and that's what makes it so fascinating. Despite being relatively new to the development world, Kayla's already making waves in the SGFDevs and OpenSGF communities. Her unique background isn't just a talking point; it's a source of innovative ideas and a fresh perspective that's shaking things up around here.

Kayla's roots are deep in Springfield, growing up in a family where encouragement and love were constants While her brothers had their own adventures, she was the one you would find at home, right next to her dad, hands-on with all sorts of projects. When Kayla was younger, her dad’s career was always a bit ambiguous. She knew he was in tech, but not exactly what he did. But later in life she would learn more about his career as a data analyst. And it's pretty clear that those father-daughter DIY sessions may have been the spark that lit the fire of her tech aspirations.

I love building things. I just grew up always doing stuff with my dad. (. . .) I'd be like, “oh, let's put in the wood floor together”, or “let's do tiling together”, you know? I was always the one who wanted to do that.

Their close family dynamic helped carry Kayla through one of the toughest battles of her life. At seven she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leading to long stays at the hospital for treatment. While staying at St. Judes in Memphis, she found comfort in music lessons led by local college professors who volunteered their time to bring comfort to the long-term patients. She was captivated by music and the joy of learning to create it herself. When the Make-A-Wish foundation arrived to fulfill her wish, she asked for a piano, and she still has that piano to bring her joy.

The way that music carried her through the struggle and ultimate victory over cancer, solidified her passion for the art. Her beautiful personality wouldn’t let her keep her passion to herself though. From the point she was able, she was sharing her passion and skills with those around her. Throughout High School she took on music students and spread her talent and love to those around her. Kayla ultimately took those two things and cultivated a career.

After getting her music degree at MSU, she stayed and began her graduate studies and teaching as a graduate assistant. Teaching piano and music theory was her start, and later she picked up a class in the English Language Institute, teaching English for musicians. Kayla loved working with the international students, allowing her to teach in more unconventional ways and bring more fun and lightness to her career.

Unfortunately, that lightness was interrupted by the coming of the year 2020. While 2020 brings to mind images of masks and distance and remote-work. It also brought with it a separation in Kayla’s marriage, the halt on international travel (and international students to teach), and a huge reduction in students looking for piano lessons. With so many life-changing events and struggles flying at Kayla, she retreated to the strength of her loving family to help her find her feet.

Amidst all of the chaos, Kayla spotted a silver lining – a chance to reboot her life and take a fresh path. After spending some time on self-reflection, she found a new enthusiasm working with a global non-profit. Working as a database administrator, she found she had a natural ability working with data and tech.

One of the first tech projects that really energized Kayla and her future in the field was organizing the entire data system for the company she was contracting with, Freedom Shield. Combining all of the data sources into an internal database. Not only was the work interesting and right up her alley, she found a mentor of sorts in her Product Manager who encouraged her and supported her as she developed into her role. Once her contract was up, Kayla found herself really looking at the tech industry as her next career.

While looking around at the tech community in Springfield, trying to find her place, she found a mentor in Spenser Harris (president, Mostly Serious). His background in education was familiar and his focus on fostering strong team dynamics at Mostly Serious really spoke to her.

Teachers are really independent (. . .) but I loved the idea of being able to join a team and, getting to be in this type of community and build stuff together. And I just felt like there would be a lot of growth there.

So, starting in 2023 she really threw herself into learning and networking. She went through the Odin Project’s Foundation course, and started joining some of the local developer networking groups. Which, of course, led her to SGFDevs. She also joined Springfield Women in Technology and was invited to join Springfield Tech Council’s events committee. She’s soaking up all the connections she can and in between, she’s learning all that she can. In August she started CodeLabs, and learned Java over the summer! Bouncing around a few languages and platforms, while maintaining her passion for solving problems.

One of the big achievements Kayla has is stepping up and co-organizing the OpenSGF group. Her support and guidance has led to more and more people coming to the meetings consistently and supporting Springfield and local non profits through their work. But it’s not just her coding skills that she brings to the group, her history with teaching and organizing has made her invaluable.

Kayla credits her consistency, people skills and tenacity for her successes in the tech world so far. With a beautiful outlook on how to make an impact in the community.

I think it's like the Boy Scout rule. But not just for code, for people.
Leave people in a better place than when you found them.

Kayla is still a relative newcomer on the tech scene in Springfield, but she has skyrocketed in her knowledge, connections and impact. The exact trajectory of her career is still unknown, but it’s certain to contain passion, enthusiasm and a unique blend of intellect, tenacity and skill. Her blend of creative flair and technical prowess will keep us watching as she shapes the future of technology in Springfield.

Success Against The Odds

Springfield Devs — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 14:06:07 +0000

The Springfield tech community knows Tiffany Ford’s professional accomplishments well. She’s the head of the Computer Information Science department, and is integral in cultivating the next generation of great tech hires in our area. Her passion for education and the opportunities it provides is clear. But how she got to be here, shows just how amazing she is. It’s a story of determination, adaptability and strength.

Tiffany grew up in the Ozarks. Her family owned a marina at Sunrise Beach in Lake of the Ozarks. It sounds idillic, with family from across the country coming to visit to enjoy the quiet lake life. Her dad was a boat mechanic, and may have inspired some of Tiffany’s technical interests. As boats became more and more reliant on computer systems, he was able to keep up with all of the new technologies. When he was ready to retire, he had hoped one of his daughters would take the business over. Unfortunately for him, Tiffany didn’t see herself staying at the marina forever.

While the location and business sound ideal, family life was a bit more difficult. Her parents were going through a very messy divorce around the time Tiffany was in high school. And she found herself acting out.

”I was the worst student, […] constantly cutting class and getting detention and leaving campus and getting into trouble. […] Now, you know, you look back on that and you’re like… oh yes, you definitely were acting out.”

At 17, she decided to head out on her own, without finishing high school. She spent the next couple years working fast food jobs and couch surfing. At 19, Tiffany found she was pregnant and had a baby boy. He was born with encephalitis, meaning he was in and out of the hospital for years. Tiffany was still in the Lake of the Ozarks area, but knew it wasn’t the right place for her and her son. In 2003, a good friend offered Tiffany and her son a place to live in Springfield. And that’s how she found herself in Springfield, providing for her family by delivering pizzas at Papa Johns and not quite sure what the future held.

Meanwhile, Tiffany’s mom pressured her to go back to school. After a while, Tiffany relented and decided to get her GED and head on to OTC.

”You go into admissions counseling […] and they're like ‘what do you want to job in’? I'm like ‘I don't even know. People just tell me I should be in school’. And they're like, ‘what do you like to do in your free time’? I'm like, ‘play video games and hang out on my computer and screw around on the internet’. [they say] ‘Okay cool let's put you in a programming class!’”

It’s a good thing they pushed her in that direction, because after a very short time, Tiffany knew this was the right place for her. With her orderly, logical way of thinking, it just “clicked.” With OTC, she was able to put her son in the daycare and earn more money with the development skills she was learning. Things were really turning around! Soon she was working in the IT department at OTC, and the calls started coming in for her to teach. It wasn’t an immediate fit, but soon she started to see it. The lightbulbs and discovery in her students.

”It sounds so cheesy now, […] ‘OTC's mission, like, we're changing lives’, but we are! Like, you take some kid like me who had a baby and no future and a GED… and you slap her into a program and suddenly she makes more money than she ever thought she would make. With a two year degree!”

It didn’t take long for OTC to realize what they had in Tiffany and they decided to create a chair of the Computer Information Science department. She now coordinates all of the curriculum, promotion, and outreach as well as filling in if they need another instructor. So if you’re in the CS program at OTC… you’ve definitely seen her around.

Coordinating a computer science department has very unique challenges. The fast-paced tech industry means the department needs to constantly be updating curriculum, hardware and continuously educating it’s teachers.

”Political science faculty, they can study, you know, the change of government. But it's slower. Math; that never changes. [But] we're always changing. […] what's new with .NET? What's happening with AWS? I’ve got to refresh this certification… on top of ‘I've got to prepare this class’, ‘I have to build this curriculum’, ‘I have to figure this out’, ‘I have to make these changes.’”

The dynamic and ever-changing nature of computer science can sometimes feel overwhelming to seasoned developers, and it’s hard to imagine how one can manage to keep up in a semester-based school year, but Tiffany has done a fantastic job of keeping the graduates of the OTC inspired and ready for a successful career.

Part of that success is because of the social support that Tiffany has encouraged OTC to include for years. Tiffany took on the OTC Esports program when she noticed that the students at the community college were really lacking in student life. COVID really emphasized that, and OTC finally saw what Tiffany had been trying to show them. The OTC Esports program brings students together through competitive gaming. In 2021, the OTC Esports arena was opened to students. And Tiffany’s seen amazing things come from it.

“It's just blown my mind. What I'm watching the students do. Which is the community piece, right? Because they're meeting each other in the safe space of esports and gaming. They're finding their little tribe. And they're taking care of each other!”

That’s one of the reasons Tiffany believes the college experience is so incredibly important, whether a community college like OTC, or a 4-year university. The connection is what sets it apart from other avenues. Connection to other students, faculty, and the other resources you get while getting a degree. Like attending conferences, finding topics you maybe wouldn’t have come across on your own, and building those out to new and exciting connections.

From the self-proclaimed “worst student” to the head of a complex, ever-changing department in higher-eduction. Tiffany proves that adaptability and tenacity can take you to high places. If you are willing to put in the effort and keep your eyes open to the opportunities. The tech industry in Springfield wouldn’t be the same without Tiffany, and the future is brighter with her leadership and guidance for the next generations of tech professionals.

Myke Bates - An Energizing Force

Springfield Devs — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 18:57:27 +0000

Have you ever heard the origin story of SGFDevs? It’s a story of many smaller tech groups in Springfield merging into one, more impactful community. At the heart of the merger was Myke Bates, whose dream was to create a space where developers from all backgrounds and skills could come together to collaborate, learn and share their unique talents and experiences.

When faced with the question of what to do with his life after high school, Myke decided he couldn’t rely on making it big with his band and “…the HVAC program was full. And so I went to network security.” In school he took one programming class… and hated it. Nearly failing the class, he had no idea how someone could spend their days programming. But what he did see, is an opportunity. Myke’s easy going and genuine personality led him to make friends with a professor who taught him more web development basics and how to turn that into some solid income.

His first full time tech job in Springfield was doing IT for 120 YUM corporation locations. Helping them manage and fix their in-house inventory systems. He saw an opportunity to bridge his web-development knowledge and suggested they move their platform online. After that first project was launched, he discovered how magical it is to see your work come alive.

“The proverbial light bulb moment. And it was software from there on out. It's all I could think about. And I think that's what really happens. When you get bit by it. It just takes over. It's all you can think about.”

Myke eventually found his way from that job, to working for PFI, then for The Alchemedia Project (TAP) in town. As his career was growing and flourishing, his soon-to-be wife’s was growing as well. Her career in Psychology brought them to Miami for her post-doctoral residency. They were both excited to experience the fast-paced city life. There, Myke discovered a tech community he hasn’t experienced before. There were small tech groups in Springfield (shout out to the Dot Net Users Group), but in Miami, he found a whole new level of community and culture. While the tech community was exciting, Myke and his fiancé soon realized that they truly missed Springfield.

Springfield is a unique place to be for Myke. While he seems to be completely opposite from the mainstream of Springfield on many issues, he loves being around people with different ideas and ideals. And with his enthusiasm for the tech community and bringing people together, he decided to start up a group called SGF Web Devs.

There is one aspect of Myke that you might have guessed by now. He is constantly in motion. Always thinking of new projects and bringing ideas to life. There are always three or four new ideas and projects being developed in his entrepreneurial brain. Some of the first SGF Web Devs meetings were spent with him demonstrating and highlighting technologies his passion projects were being built with. And he used the time to share his insights and passion with the local dev community. And so, SGF Web Devs was going well, with a great group of active members. And after a while, Myke helped bring together other small developer groups in Springfield to form SGFDevs. A group for all tech professionals!

One of Myke’s biggest projects has become his life’s work. HEARO Remote Supports exemplifies Myke’s desire to support and create community and opportunity. HEARO works to help people with disabilities live independently. With Myke’s guidance, the company is set to take over the world of remote supports. And with his unique energy and entrepreneurial spirit, he is making a huge impact on not only the industry, but also each individual that is able to live a more fulfilled life because of the HEARO technology.

“A lot of the passion I have comes from the people within this space. Whether it's elderly, developmentally or intellectually disabled, you name it. This is a huge group of people that are not afforded the same luxuries everyone else takes for granted. And so I've got a big drive to provide tools and ways of being able to obtain some level of equality. Quality of life. And that's all I want to do is just provide that to people.”

Recently, Myke stepped down as the president of SGFDevs. Handing the role over to Levi Zitting. He always envisioned the group functioning and excelling without him. We can’t thank him enough for bringing our community together and for making happier lives for those that HEARO supports. His work, heart and spirit make our Devs community, our city and our world a much better place.

Breaking Barriers & Inspiring Change

Springfield Devs — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 13:27:58 +0000

The life and career of Maranda Provance can be summed up in one word: passionate. Her career is peppered with activism, encouragement and support of our communities.

Maranda is a Springfield native, having grown up visiting the downtown square as a teen and finding her open, inviting and creative tribe within our city. While most teens can be angsty and excited to leave their hometown, Maranda saw excitement and potential in Springfield. Her first foray into activism was with cannabis reform. She joined Springfield NORML and worked in the community to collect the signatures needed to get decriminalization on the ballot in 2012! The experience energized Maranda to keep advocating for things she has passion for.

While she was beginning her activism experience, she also began her development career. She found herself with a group of friends who were starting a business in the industry. They saw in her a drive and intelligence to become a great developer (likely due to her beating them in Settlers of Catan multiple times). So, without any experience in the industry, she started working at Intuitive Web Solutions (IWS) building software for insurance agencies. With her self-motivation and ability to learn new things quickly, she thrived in her career while also earning her degree in Computer Science.

After years of working in the industry, she started to notice an unfortunate lack of diversity. And with her history of activism and community involvement she knew just how she could work to make our community even better! She started working to found The Geek Foundation. The Geek Foundation’s mission is to support the tech industry by encouraging diversity through removing barriers to entering the field. It started by providing outreach programs for local kids at libraries and the Boys and Girls Clubs, then branched out to provide training and support for adults looking to enter the industry.

Maranda didn’t stop there, getting involved in the local group Springfield Women in Tech. Most recently, she spearheaded a research study into the local technology scene to see what local tech employees are wanting, and how local companies can work to attract and retain a diverse tech team.

“There’s a lot of value in studying what policies and benefits actually attract and retain diverse talent in our area.”

As many startups have experienced, Maranda’s company found themselves needing to drastically downsize. Unfortunately, Maranda found herself in need of a new professional home. Like many people, she had been ingrained in the IWS culture for so long, that she felt slightly untethered. Unsure about where she should land. Luckily, a local marketing firm was looking for someone with just Maranda’s skillset.

Maranda started at Mostly Serious as a software developer, but very quickly saw areas that she could step into to help lead the company to greater success. Recognizing the needs of the company and stepping up without needing to be asked proved to Mostly Serious how pivotal her experience, skills and expertise were to the company. So, today you can find Maranda at Mostly Serious as the Director of Development. Supporting the team of developers and supporting clients during work hours, then supporting the development community outside of work hours.

That’s what motivates her. Understanding her community and what drives and supports them. Then solving problems and removing barriers for not only her team and clients but for the entire community. It’s this passion that makes Maranda unique and so very important to Springfield, and Springfield Devs. This community is so much better having Maranda in it. And we’re so grateful!

Zack's Dream: Coding a Better Future

Springfield Devs — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 11:25:51 +0000

In a timeline that feels uncertain and full of negativity, the SGFDevs community has a ray of light to help us find our optimism and creativity. You may have seen him around if you’ve hit up an OpenSGF meetup, or been at an SGFDevs meeting lately. He’s got a quiet, unassuming confidence that isn’t flashy, and belies his big ideas, entrepreneurial spirit and drive. Zack Bradshaw not only has big ideas, but big ideas that could make a hugely positive impact on our community and society.

Zack’s an Ozarks native, having grown up in Stockton. He comes by his entrepreneurial spirit easily as his father and brother are both entrepreneurs. While finding his passions in the development world, he started as many devs do, in game development. He played around with Unreal Engine, even looking into 3D modeling and scene building. Soon, he realized that programming was where he found the most satisfaction. He bypassed the traditional secondary education and relied on his self-motivation to learn the skills he needed to create a career. From hardware to software, game development to design, Zack has done it all. He has a love for coding that has only grown stronger over his career. But his true love is AI.

Most recently Zack found himself doing web development for Logic Forte. But the drive to create and passion for AI are so strong, he decided to make a huge change. Recently, he left his traditional job and is building his own company focused on harnessing the power of AI. But starting a business can be daunting. So he’s enrolled in the accelerator program at the E-Factory. A move that highlights his commitment and drive to this industry and our community.

And speaking of commitment to community, he demonstrates it weekly with his involvement in OpenSGF. Zack didn’t just join OpenSGF, he helps to keep it alive with his role of co-organizer. Fully supporting the mission to help our community by contributing the skills of local developers. OpenSGF works to support local nonprofits by providing a volunteer group of designers and developers to tackle technical problems for our community. The group is open to all skill levels, from non-technical people to established engineers. Zack’s favorite part of working with the group is the opportunity to learn deeply by teaching. If you’re interested in joining this team of motivated, talented and compassionate people, check out OpenSGF!

When not supporting our community or starting up his AI focused company, Zack loves to work with his family creating and learning new things in tech. Recently, he worked with his brother to design and build his own keyboard. They call it the “Seahorse” and it has only 30% the number of keys as a traditional keyboard, optimizing the way he works. I almost feel bad for his lonely mouse hiding next to this shining creation, as he strives to never need it again.

While his entrepreneurial spirit and community-focused passions are examples of what make Zack a fantastic developer, what really struck me about Zack was his pure and honest optimism for the future. He's not just a tech enthusiast; he's an idealist who sees a world transformed for the better through technology. He sees a future where AI doesn’t just automate tasks, but allows people to live more fulfilling lives by empowering them to become entrepreneurs or work in industries/fields that truly support their happiness. He spoke of life-extending technology and expanding humanity by colonizing space. In a world of jaded pessimism, it was refreshing to hear his enthusiasm.

My conversation with Zack left me invigorated and optimistic about the future. I’m incredibly excited to have someone like him in our community, continually working to better the lives of us all. I have no doubts that his career will be successful and I look forward to hearing more about his business as it takes flight!

Through the course of our conversation, Zack mentioned many hackathons and challenges that he's taken part of recently, and I wanted to hightlight some of his awesome work here!

Finishing in the top 25 with ikigAI
Finishing in the top 8 with Profit Pilot
Fusing Zack's love of game dev with AI at 2023 Epic Megajam with Rise of Agora

Uplifting Tech Talent in the Ozarks

Springfield Devs — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 10:57:21 +0000

“What drives me is looking for ways to create opportunity and success for other people. ”

Walking into Ben’s office, you immediately notice the signs on the wall focusing on the next quarter’s goals and the company team member’s DISC scores. It feels just like many other startups. Then Ben comes out to greet you with a warm smile and quiet confidence that immediately inspires. He’s no novice when it comes to building a team, product and company. His career highlights his trustworthiness and talent.

Ben’s always wanted to be an engineer, and like many young software developers, had dreams of game development. But not gameplay, more of the mathematics and logistics of shading and lighting. That brought him to his first job out of college: a company that created flight simulators in St. Louis. His technical skills grew, and soon he found himself at trade shows, designing and creating the demos for the flight simulator product. “So basically I was developing a video game… so it was cool.”

As his career advanced, he found himself at Asynchrony Solutions, a project-based development and consulti

ng company. It was a lot of new technology, and on the job learning, but he quickly found his web-dev legs and eventually found himself climbing the ranks of the company.

While Ben’s career was thriving, his family was growing. The birth of their first daughter brought a shift of priorities for Ben and his wife. They decided to move back to Springfield to be closer to family. But that would mean leaving his career with Asynchrony Solutions behind. Asynchrony Solutions, however, were undeterred. In an effort to keep his incredible talent, they suggested Ben open an office in Springfield and lead a team in the Ozarks. Soon after, the company was bought by World-Wide Technology (WWT) and Ben started his journey with WWT, building a new team of engineers. Over the course of the next several years, Ben’s team grew and thrived right along with the company.

Then 2020 rolled around. COVID shut down the WWT office in Springfield, and they (like so many) decided not to reopen, shifting all of their employees to full-remote work. While many see that as an advantage, Ben thrives in an office environment with many unique minds to grow and careers to help build. So, he decided to build his own perfect environment.

He knew some business partners that had an idea to build software for the warehousing logistics industry. They were already running a successful company, and so, had the capitol to bring their idea to life, and Ben had the knowledge and experience to not only create a product, but also a team. A few short months later, WareHQ Labs was up and running. Ben’s proven record of building and developing strong teams is in full swing, as they’ve just hired their 6th employee to support their product.

And that’s where we find him. Building his WareHQ one unique talent at a time, in an effort to build a company that will last. He sees building valuable tools for the warehousing industry for many years. There are so many intricate details that go into getting a package from the warehouse to your house in 2 days. And he sees a lot of potential to help streamline the process.

But beyond the warehouses are the employees. The company’s mission is to enhance lives and empower people. And that’s not just in the warehouses, but for his employees as well. He sees a future where warehouse employees aren’t stuck doing the tedious tasks like transcribing data from a written shipping sheet to their warehousing system.

That’s one of the things that really stood out to me about Ben. While his calming confidence is immediately on display, his passion for the Springfield community shows in his words and actions. His commitment to the Springfield tech community started whe he was considering moving back. He looked at the tech companies in the area and saw room for improvement. He saw an opportunity to make a stronger development community by bringing in new technology, opportunities, workflows and passions.

“We operate in a way that if there is something cool and interesting, we'll find a way to make use of it. … That kind of open-ended opportunity for developing technology is something that I really feel is important to have here in Springfield.”

And while the company seems (to the outsider) to be growing quite rapidly, it’s actually slower than they’d like it to be. Ben’s confidence is in full display as he states “I knew that if we have the right message and the right opportunity, (WareHQ) could grow very quickly.”

The SGF Devs community is a huge reason why he’s so confident they can (and will) find the right people to support their mission. Ben is a founding member of the SGFDevs community and has been serving on the board for a year and a half. He’s dedicated to supporting the community that is supporting him, his family, and his new business. “I get a lot of satisfaction creating opportunity for other people.”

It’s wonderful to have a member of the SGFDevs community that is so passionate about supporting and building those around him to their fullest potential. And I’m excited to watch WareHQ Labs as they continue to rocket toward their goals of enhancing lives and empowering people.