This page was last updated in early 2022.
I publish a custom website at
learning-python.com
which hosts related content, and is
referenced throughout this page.
Among the website's extras are
a more concise statement of my career at the
formal bio;
a more comprehensive (and colorful) tour of my Python
work at
Teaching Python;
and both code and documentation from recent development projects at the
programs page.
A computer software professional, with a background in both large-scale systems development
and evangelizing new ideas, and experience that spans forty years in the software field,
including two decades devoted to teaching classes and writing books about programming.
Career highlights:
BS and MS degrees in Computer Science
Four decades of software development experience
Sole proprietor of a successful training business for two decades
Author of 14 programming books that have sold over 750k units to date
I've spent over two decades promoting the Python
programming language. This period's early years overlap with formal
development work ahead,
but its highlights merit calling out separately.
Summary
1993 to present
Fully self-employed since 1999 as an independent trainer and writer
Taught 260 Python training sessions, in the US and abroad
Wrote multiple Python books, including Python's earliest and best-selling texts
Spoke at conferences, seminars, and user group meetings
Gave interviews, and wrote articles in industry publications
Developed open-source Python programs for both learners and users
Contributed to Python's rise from obscurity to a vast worldwide
user base
Training
1997 to 2016
Early leader in Python training services
Developed and presented a 3-day on-site Python training class
Delivered to numerous clients in the US and abroad
Taught 260 live and in-person sessions of this class
A note to busy readers: this section and those that follow it are fairly heavy on
details (an inevitable byproduct of three decades, 14 books, and 11,000 published
pages). If you're looking for a more concise summary, try the
formal bio page instead.
Books
This section lists books by publication date, and is somewhat redundant with
the book resources page at my website.
Its book titles link to pages with additional information.
I earned MS and BS degrees in Computer Science, emphasizing programming
languages and artificial intelligence, and implementing large-scale development
projects for both degrees. This section gives the highlights of this work.
This section lists my employment history from 1990. It mostly
covers the systems-development jobs I held in the period between earning my
master's degree and embarking on my independent Python focus in 1999.
Trainer and Writer, Self-employed
October 1999 to present
Business activities include
teaching on-site programming classes and writing technical books
Developed network switch interfaces, for a cellular fraud
detection system; implemented network interface modules,
message translators, and timer processes
Developed a rule-based chart of accounts modeling system, for a
client/server financial applications company; integrated an extension
language with a C++ framework, for on-site customization ("KEL")
C-like scripting language development, for a graphics company;
implemented compiler extensions, a source-code debugger, regression-test
scripts, and an integrated client/server-based development GUI ("XOSD")
FORTRAN compiler development for a UNIX-based super-computer company;
implemented compiler fixes/enhancements, FORTRAN-90 extensions, and a
cross-reference tool ("fcxref"); closed 60 compiler bugs in first 6 months
This section lists my employment history from 1984 through 1990.
It covers jobs I held from my bachelor's degree work through the
completion of my master's degree. Most of these jobs were in
the business-applications domain, and some overlapped
with Computer Science studies.
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