About Me

My Background

How did I get here?

Hey there! I’m Nick, I’ve been writing code for over 15 years, and have spent the last 6+ years as a software engineer by trade. I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to build financial services for some of the world’s most iconic brands.

A bit of background on me.

I spent my youth in competitive athletics. I was a collegiate athlete where I was voted my team’s Rookie of the Year. I’ve always been super competitive, and have a burning desire to continue to improve in everything I do. Fast forward to my engineering career at Goldman Sachs. I was a technical lead for a product touching millions of people – still with an insatiable desire to continue to learn and improve.

At the height of the pandemic, I was diagnosed with an incredibly rare form of cancer in the sarcoma family known as a Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor. The incidence rate is an estimated one in a million, with a 5-year survival rate clocking in somewhere between 15 and 66%.

A misdiagnosis and 3 surgeries later, including one on both of my legs and a round of radiation therapy later, I was considered cured. The first few months were tough – I questioned whether I would be able to walk properly ever again.

It sounds horribly cliche, but I was faced with the reality that our lives are incredibly short, and there are few important things in our lives.

1. We need to spend as much time as we can with those close to us while we can. Time is limited.
2. The world is an incredible place, and while technology is here to stay, we as human beings were made to be outdoors as much as possible.
3. Your health is the most important thing in your life, without it – you are nothing. Stay active and nourish it.

Why am I telling you this?

Because since then, while I still have a constant drive for continuing to improve in everything I do, my priorities have shifted. The goal of this blog is to help you find balance in your life – aligned with those three core values.