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The Open Coder
The Open Coder

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Welcome to the Open Coder

Introduction

Hello! My name is Griffin Sullivan. I am a Junior from Raleigh, North Carolina studying Human-Centered Design and Development at Penn State. My coursework is a combination of learning how to design systems and interfaces that solve human problems, and how to go about creating these applications in code. Through my education I have been able to merge my passions for people and technology.

What's Open Coder?

The Open Coder is all about learning how open source technology can be used to benefit the applications that we create. Although I really enjoy web development, the Open Coder focuses on all different kinds of open source projects affecting multiple areas of technology like testing, DevOps, design, and development.

My Background in Technology

Like I said before, my coursework at Penn State combines UX design and coding. I have taken multiple classes using Java to learn Object Oriented Programming principles and create final projects using web APIs. I've also taken coursework about web development using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to gain a better understanding of web technologies like NodeJS. Regarding my design work, I'm currently in my fourth class learning about how to use design thinking and apply a greater understanding of the user to the design of the interface.

Outside of the classroom, I am also the president of the Emerging Technologies club at Penn State. The goal for our organization is to teach new, industry-standard technologies to students in order to bridge the gap between the classroom and the tech industry. We use Raspberry Pis to teach students about anything from Linux to wiring breadboards. My role within this club has given me the opportunity to research different technologies, learn how they work, and then share that knowledge with my peers.

I have also had the pleasure of interning for Red Hat last summer as a Quality Engineering intern in Raleigh, NC. Although I was working remotely, I learned about the process of testing large-scale applications and was able to learn even more about Linux and open-source technology. During my time there, I got to write Python tests for Red Hat Satellite, verify over 30 bugs, take a Red Hat System Administration course, and write multiple Ansible playbooks that help deploy virtual machines for the Satellite QE team to run tests and verify bugs.

Where I Hope to Go

As a developer who is passionate about design, open-source technology, and helping people, I want to work in front-end development. I believe this work will give me the greatest exposure to those three passions of mine. I also want to eventually get a MBA which could help me land a job working in a more managerial role. My dream job would be to work as a CTO for a large tech company, so that I could continue to merge my passion for people and technology.

Video

Here is a video about Ansible and it's role in Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC). I hope you learn something about how Ansible is being used to create tech infrastructure that is more flexible and reliable.

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