To say the last semester of my undergraduate career was a whirlwind would be a massive understatement.
What started out as a normal semester quickly turned into challenging time for college students alike.
I’m certainly counting my blessings at this point. My family is healthy, I was able to graduate and still take something away from my classes, I completed a successful senior design project (a moment captured here!), and finished my second year at SureSwift Capital. I carry this gratitude with me knowing that there are many who have faced much more challenging circumstances.
Like many are doing right now, it’s time to look forward. And not only look for the light at the end of the tunnel, but also for that next step.
My time at SureSwift has been a huge source of growth for me. Looking back, I’ve spent time putting on events, interviewing people to hire, taking on projects where I saw fit, and applying skills I learned in school to work. I still remember telling friends and family about how my job was mostly remote, many found remote-first work quite odd (what about now?). I’m quite thankful for the time I spent there, learning about how to operate a portfolio, acquire new businesses that fit within that portfolio, and what it means to run a software business. It was SureSwift that sparked an interest in software and web development, and it’s why I created this website! I want to thank the entire SureSwift organization for instilling an entrepreneurial passion in me. The skills of creating and building are powerful ones because that is what can change the world, and I owe it to my time within this organization.
I also look back happily on my time within the Industrial and Systems Engineering department at UMN. They’ve helped me develop passions for data science and data driven decision making, a far cry from the college sophomore who still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life! And thanks to the well-rounded curriculum that ISyE has, I also love finding ways to use technology to free up time for more creative work, undoubtedly a driving factor in job satisfaction and happiness.
All that being said, good things do come to an end. Aviation has always been a passion and interest for me. I still remember throwing around a styrofoam airplane in my backyard as a child. So, I’m excited to be moving on to start a new chapter with Kambr. Kambr was a logical next step for me in my career. They are giving me the opportunity to flex my technical skills some more and work in aviation, while going to a similar start-up, globally distributed culture I have fallen in love with from SureSwift. Obviously, with a global pandemic going on, the airline industry is being faced with new, challenging problems. But that is exactly the type of challenge I am looking for as Kambr will undoubtedly be on the edge of innovation for the industry going forward.
I want to thank my professors, classmates, family, friends, co-workers, bosses, coaches, and teammates. Every experience and interaction, no matter how small, has been a building block towards the person I am today, and for that I am grateful. I’m looking forward to the future, while being thankful for those who have made it possible. As always, reach out if I can help with anything.