"There aren't a lot of people who can program a web application, but also comfortably speak in front of a group of teenagers. When I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Theology, Philosophy, and Catechetics, I had to grow out my facial hair so I would actually look older than the youth I would be working with. I started out as a youth minister for junior high and high school students, then a substitute teacher, then a full time high school teacher. When I started a family, I needed to actually have health insurance for them, so I had to quit teaching to seek greener (read: well-paying) pastures, which turned out to be web applications development and design, which I have been doing professionally for the last ten years, with occasional tutoring opportunities on the side.

All of this has placed me in the rather unique position of having the skills to teach and explain in an accessible way all the things that someone would need to prepare for a career in web dev. I taught myself into a new successful career unrelated to my academic experience, and I can teach you. I love speaking to people, I love breaking down concepts and explaining things in different ways, and I love sharing my interests with people who want to learn.

As a tutor, the most important thing to me is practical application. If you learn web development facts and definitions but aren't able to produce something, then it doesn't get you anywhere. Coding is a skill that takes practice and repetition. My approach to tutoring focuses on guided practice, building something practical and usable that is a complete solution to a problem as an end product. I excel at breaking down concepts to an understandable level, and then applying those concepts immediately to concrete work. I have been able to do this in my professional life most often with Junior High and High School students, but the same principles apply to adults and University students as well." less...