right. So how how did you get where you are today? What's your story? Um what incidents and experiences shaped your career path. Um, so it's been kind of Ah, kind of an interesting road, and I'm gonna just change my Skype setting, so I don't get messages. Um, so, yeah, I, um I it's a very winding road, so just I'll try to tell a short version, but, um, you know, I studied computer science for a little while for a year, and then I switched over ended music for three or four years. Um, didn't graduate, ended up dropping out after started having kids. And so I took a couple years off, and then I came back and did a bachelor's in accounting, um, and then went on to do ah started an m b A. But then did only did one year and dropped out of that and did another year of just computer science and engineering classes because I really didn't feel like e was very business minded, but also very technical minded. So I wanted to be and more on the technical side of entrepreneurship in business. Um and so I took enough programming classes and then ended up switching, um, schools back to the University of Utah, where I got a master's in information systems. So that's kind of my educational background. Um, and have actually Ah, um well, let me let me go on a little further. So, um, you know, I toyed around with the idea of kind of starting over and doing ah, degree in computer science because I felt like I had so many holes in my education. Um, but it just wasn't practical with a family. And I'd already done so much schooling. And so I ended up just doing them the masters of information systems and kind of my goal shifted to, um, getting just enough training to get my foot in the door in a technical position. And so that was kind of my goal. And I did that. So I started working at in contact as ah ah, Seti I engineer computer telephony integration. Um, where most of the most of the work there is most. Most of the programming is proprietary. So they really just had to know that I understood programming concepts and was a good enough problem solver to to figure it out and do the training on the job. And I I was very successful are, um, you know, is a steep learning curve, but I was able to get to speed, you know, and and did that for, So I work there. And then also, I left that job but work for partners of in contact. So it was doing kind of the same thing. It along with some web development on the side. Um, So I did that for about six years, um, and got just really, really good at it. Um, and then, ah, to the point where I kind of became the expert that people would go to for the really difficult, um, integrations and things like that. So, um, I about a year ago, I was working. Um, it got a new client, um, called trans actus, which services payment payment transactions for other companies. And they were They were totally rebuilding their I V r system telephony for automated phone payments and neat. And they were switching over to in contact and needed help making that switch. So I was the primary consultant for that. Ah, it was a six month, um, basically full time. Ah, contract. And, um, you know, after doing that for six months, they decided they really they needed somebody full time to do that. Well, at least part time to do that. And then also somebody who could do some web development as well. So I was really excited about that because I wanted to ah, get more into Web development. So this gave me an opportunity to use my skills in in phone system development that I acquired over the past seven years, um, to leverage my way into into, ah, good position where I could also increase my skills in other areas and advance my career. So, um, the eso transact is's So I've been working with transactions for the past six months. It's, um I work from home full time because they're based in New York. I'm in Utah, Um, the and they are a MasterCard company. So they just got acquired by MasterCard. So the pay and the benefits are really great. And, um, and they take take care of me. So, um, one final thing I want to say to this question is, you know, for a long time iconic, um, I kind of kicked myself for taking such a winding path. Um, with my education and career kind of changing my major so many times, and, um and because it took me a long time, you know, I was probably I felt like I was a whole decade behind, um, where I could have been if I had just gone straight into computer science. You know, when I was 18 and, ah, you know, I was 34 when I graduated with my masters. So, um, but I I also feel like I just read a book recently called. Um, yeah, I can remember what is cuffed. Ah, but But he talks about how the diverse backgrounds actually can really help you. And I've actually seen that in my job now, where a lot of software developers don't have much business knowledge or background and where I kind of have a wide breadth of of experience and knowledge and in business, entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, even in music and the arts. Um, and I I focused on marketing for a while when I was doing my m b A. Um and then, you know, so I'm primarily a programmer. But when it comes to designing, um the systems and problem solving for just general business problems and marketing. You know, I feel like I can give my voice and contribute, and so that I think that gives me up more opportunities, um, to be noticed in to advance in my career. So, um, so even though it kind of Ah, my winding path kind of delayed my my career progression at first, I think in the end, it's gonna pay off. Um, so that's I think about all I have to say about that.

Um, yes. So, I mean, in my previous job, I traveled a bit because I was working with clients. Um, I traveled about once every three months. Um, but in my current job, I'm all internal, so I don't do any traveling. Especially with Cove in 19 um, up. You know, once that's over, I'll probably travel to the headquarters once a year, just toe meet with other employees, but, um, so I work from home full time. Ah, they're pretty flexible on hours. Um, I try just personally toe start working at 8 a.m. And work till five. PM you know, just so that I discipline myself. But But, you know, nobody's watching me to make sure that I am, you know, clocking in at this at the right time. And, you know, so some weeks I work. You know, some weeks I work 60 hours and some weeks I worked 30 hours and, you know, just depends on the workload. I I try to average you know, 40 to 45 hours, but, um, as faras responsibilities, um, I am a programmer. So, um, you know, ultimately, my, my manager tells often have reminds me that I'm supposed to build what the product team tells me to build. But in actuality, I I feel like I'm more of a designer than a programmer. So I I actually work with them a lot and contribute on the design side as well. Um, like I said in my last question that you know, I have a diverse background and and so I feel like I I'm not restricted to just, you know, my job is a programmer, but I try to branch out and contribute in other areas as well. Um, but, you know, that's kind of just might myself being proactive in not that's not necessarily the expectation, I guess.

So four building. Um, I've ers, the phone systems I use in contact proprietary. Um, software. Um and that's, you know, that's kind of where my area of expertise is. Because a very small filled of people that know that, um, but I actually don't I don't do a lot of that. Now that I've gotten more into this new job, Um, I do a lot of programming just in c sharp. Um, and javascript on. I just use, um, visual studio for that, which is, you know, the most commonly used. Ah, you know, programming at ah, application. Um ah. You know, I mean, just like in any job, I use excel quite a bit, you know, just to just this kind of like a ah ah workshop, I guess, to Teoh, you know, analyze data and and figure out problems and things like that. I think it's important for any job where you have to sell problems to be very comfortable with excel. Um, you know, and also I use PowerPoint when I give presentations. I mean, I gave a presentation earlier this week, um ah, demonstrating an application that I just finished building. And, you know, rather than yeah, navigate through the website to show them everything. I took several screenshots and put him in a power point so that I could save time and be more efficient in my presentation. Be a little unpolished. So you know, it's important to to be familiar with with those programs as well. Um, I think that's about it. What's that? No, I I mean, I think that's a about it. As far as tools that I use in in my role. I mean, what I guess I should say There's there's actually, you know, quite a few other tools. Ah, associated with the software development that I'm not real familiar or comfortable with. And it's it's been a stretch to learn, you know, use, um ah, you know, sequel, server management studio. Um, I use ah, tortoise H g, which just syncs up our code, you know, between So several developers can work at once. Um, and you know, there's other you know, programs that support your used to support the development environment. Um, that I've had Teoh that I've had to learn and pick up quickly just in the past few months. So, um, but I think every company's gonna kind of have a different set of tools for that