My path to software was not traditional. I spent five years in the Marine Corps, which sent me all over the world—some genuinely beautiful places, some places where "austere" was the polite description, and a few where the travel advisory was basically "don't." I learned to operate in chaos, plan for the worst, and work with whatever resources were available.

After the Marine Corps and some time working for the State Department, I returned to West Texas and went to work in the oil fields. I worked as a lease operator, driving out to remote pump jacks in the middle of nowhere to measure production and keep equipment running. The job had its charms—independence, sunrises over the Permian Basin, the satisfaction of fixing things with your hands. The data entry, however, was soul-crushing. I started learning to code specifically to automate the parts of the job that made me want to walk into the desert and never return.

That side project turned into a career. I taught myself Python, then JavaScript, then everything else. I built Land Machine—a Neo4j-based system for tracking mineral ownership across generations of Texas families. I spoke at NODES 2019, got Neo4j certified, and started picking up consulting work.

Today, I run Muddy Boots Code, a consultancy focused on software for technical industries. Recent projects include Pro-Texis (remote monitoring for government flood response) and Trade Craft (wellbore diagramming for oil and gas engineers). I also work as a Graph Engineer at Graphable, building graph integrations for clients.

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