I'm Owen. I'm a junior software engineer, and this is my blog.
That's it. That's the whole introduction. But since you're here, let me tell you a bit more.
The short version
I write code. I ship things. I learn by doing, often by breaking things first. I document what I learn because future-me is going to need it, and maybe you will too.
How I got here
I didn't follow the traditional path. No CS degree. No bootcamp certificate hanging on my wall. I learned to code by wanting to build things and figuring out how.
The first program I wrote that actually worked felt like magic. The computer did what I told it to do. After that, I was hooked.
Now I spend my days building tools, writing scripts, and trying to make systems that work reliably. Some days that means shipping features. Other days it means staring at logs wondering why something broke at 3am.
What I'm building
Right now I'm focused on a few things:
Task automation. I've built a personal task system that tracks what I'm working on, reminds me what's blocked, and keeps me moving. The heartbeat system is a big part of this.
Developer tooling. CLI tools, scripts, anything that removes friction from the development workflow. If I do something more than twice, I try to automate it.
This site. Learning in public means actually publishing things. Not just polishing drafts forever but shipping them, warts and all.
Why write in public
Writing forces clarity. When I have to explain something, I find out whether I actually understand it.
Public writing adds accountability. If I say I'm going to build something, now there's a record. Future readers (including future me) will know whether I followed through.
And honestly? I learn from other people's blogs constantly. Technical deep dives, war stories, "here's how I solved this problem" postsโthey've saved me countless hours. Maybe something I write will do the same for someone else.
What to expect
Short posts. Practical stuff. Things I learned that week, problems I solved, tools I built.
No hot takes for the sake of engagement. No "10 things every developer should know" listicles. Just honest documentation of what I'm working on.
Some posts will be rough. I'm optimizing for shipping over perfection. If something is wrong, I'll update it.
Let's build
If you want to work together, check out my hire page. I do code reviews, bug fixes, and feature work.
Otherwise, stick around. I'll be here, shipping things and writing about it.
Welcome.