Keep Moving Forward!

I'm moving forward.

The best words of advice my father ever gave me was, "You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!" He was an example of that. There was nothing I could find that my dad couldn't do. He spoke multiple languages, sang, played music, competed in bowling, was a black-belt in Judo, was a marksman archer, and had an intelligence position in the military that he never discussed. He became the sales leader then the sales manager at a major auto dealership after mustering out.

I have lived my life by those words. "You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

I dropped out of school when I was 16 to do volunteer ministry work.

I got my GED by walking in and taking the tests when I was 21.

I got my first personal computer in my early 20's. I taught myself BASIC, then Assembler, so that I could write video games. I started selling games under my label. We moved to California. I sold the games to a publisher and landed a secretary job with a major motion picture studio. Within three years, I moved up to a Sr. Systems Analyst position. I was writing custom applications in dBASE, BASIC, DOS, and Assembler. Then I went to a major software manufacturer, designed software with dBASE, Pascal, Assembler, and C. I taught computer classes, designed networks, and set standards for world-wide data communications. I met Philippe Kahn (the CEO of Borland.) I did custom software work for Ed Esber (CEO of Ashton-Tate.) I watched Bill Gates give Keynotes at Comdex, and I appeared on TV with Monty Hall when he thanked me for my software work for the Variety Club Telethons.

"You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

I transitioned to consulting in QA, networking, and software development - eventually starting my own company and becoming the CEO as we developed custom applications in VB, C, C++, and Java for Apple Newtons, PalmOS, and WindowsCE devices with enterprise integrations to Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server. I wrote technical articles and became regularly published in ComputerWorld, DB Management, and Computer Gaming World magazines. I wrote a book for Microsoft Press about Flight Simulator.

"You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

I started playing music in a band at coffee shops and pubs. We grew in popularity and eventually recorded 2 CD's, played at the Del Mar Fair, on KUSI TV, and the House of Blues in Anaheim. It was a great run with an awesome band for eleven years. (Thank you, WhoWeAre!)

"You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

9/11 happened! I went from CEO to Zero, and closed my business, fixed gaming consoles, cleaned carpets, and wrote custom FileMaker applications. I wrote a Dummies Guide to FileMaker.

"You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

We moved to the Seattle area, and I did FileMaker development. I had brain surgery and lost a year of me. No more music due to hearing loss in one ear, but my creativity continued through fiction writing — first one small book, then a novel, another book, and average five-star ratings on Amazon. Now I'm writing another story.

"You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

I recovered with a three-year stint at a major telecom company in data communications support. Then I dove into the technical side of supporting channel marketing applications and services with a small SaaS company. I introduced SCRUM and Agile processes to the business while streamlining deliverables to the clients. I continued my technical love of SQL custom reporting, technical writing, and internal application development with VBA. It was eight good years as a Senior Business Analyst.

"You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

Currently, I'm a full-time student who convinced the State of Washington to send me to college for a Web Application Developer certificate. It's my goal! I'm moving forward, writing articles and stories, and soon I'll be a certified full-stack Web developer who knows how to write.

Yes, I have done a lot. I'm not trying to brag about my accomplishments. Really! I'm trying to be an example. Stay positive! Stay focused! Regardless of how "experienced" you are! Keep moving forward, regardless of the speedbumps that life throws at you.

In the words of my father, "You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want by setting your mind to it!"

Copyright (c) 2020, Timothy Trimble