As a guy passionate about technology from a city known for manufacturing and automobiles, it was only natural I would find my way to industrial controls. After all, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are simply specialized computers, running in an endless loop. Instead of a mouse and keyboard, we wire in buttons, switches, or perhaps relays that are controlled by other machines. Ladder Logic is simply another another programming language, or a way to express ideas via math and logic.

The first time I wrote code was with an Arduino microcontroller. We needed a way to replicate signal from an ECU to an actuator in an intake manifold we were designing. Not only was I successful in reproducing the signals, but the engineers at Managed Programs continued to ask for more IT based solutions for testing. 

Eventually, I was tasked with building a test stand for a water pump. The Arduino had finally met it's match: the simple board designed for prototyping simply couldn't withstand the vibrations produced by the operation of the machine. That's when I learned about PLCs, and how they were designed to withstand such conditions. That's also when I had the thought "people probably get paid to do this full-time, I need to get into that!"

So I switched programs to Computer Science and haven't looked back. The possibilities for digitizing and optimizing manufacturing and verification processes by combining traditional operational technologies with contemporary information technologies seem endless. 

Once again, thank you for taking the time the check out the site. I hope you see something you find interesting!