From a Turbo Pascal textbook to .NET 10

At 13 I told a school essay I wanted to be a "programmer" so I could write games. In Grade 10 I talked my teacher into handing me the Turbo Pascal textbook early so I could teach myself, no internet, just try, fail, read, try again. While writing my matric prelims I entered a system into a university coding competition and placed 2nd in the advanced division, competing against university students.

That competitive streak started on the chessboard. I played chess right through primary and high school and competed at the South African National Championships, learning to think several moves ahead long before I ever thought in code. I also took part in Mathematics Olympiads in high school, because I genuinely like a good puzzle (and, apparently, have a few screws loose).

Since then I've gone from junior web developer to running my own shop, building software used by Volkswagen SA, the Cape Town Stock Exchange, MultiChoice and a long list of South African SMMEs.

The title I'm proudest of, though, is "Dad." It was a long road to get there, but after that our son arrived in late 2019, and yes, I rocked up to the hospital in a "Leveling Up to Daddy" shirt. Some things are non-negotiable.