And Let There Be Light!

 

Phone Pics - 3.10.2016 155

These are the days of my life. Image(s): Caitlynn Hawks

From The Beginning…

I’ve been called a “tinkerer” my whole life.  I’ve always been fascinated by technology and how it can be manipulated to better optimize the human experience.  After working years at jobs that I would never consider a career in, I finally decided to see if I could turn this obsessive hobby of mine into a full-fledged career.  Even when I’m not doing homework you can usually find me engaging in some form of technology, be it my computer, music player, or Xbox.  Thankfully, being Oregon born and raised, I also developed a very healthy appetite for the outdoors and exploration.  My goal this year is to spend some more time east of the Cascades since most of my out of the valley experience has been on the coast line.

The Story So Far…

I currently work for a software company, and one of my duties within the company is to create and maintain user guides for our programs, internal procedures, and other general documentation.  The skills that I will learn, practice, and hone in this technical writing class will immediately and directly benefit my current work.  It will also deepen a skill set I already have, that is currently and will continue to be an incredibly desirable skill in all employment sectors, should I need to seek different employment in the future.

13 thoughts on “And Let There Be Light!

  1. Hello, that is so awesome that you love to adventure around Oregon. What are some of your favorite spots? Anything cool around Eugene? I recently moved here and would love to go adventure around.
    I wish you luck with school and your job and I hope you find the right career for you!

    • One of my favorite spots is this place called Tamolitch Pool, or better known as Blue Pool. Here is a little blurb about it, http://www.eugeneoutdoors.com/tamolitch-pool/. That site in actually a resource I use quite often for finding new places to explore in the area. I like Blue Pool because the sites are amazing, its heavily forested so even in higher temperatures the trail isn’t bad, and the hike itself is fairly flat. Really though, most anything out the McKenzie is a site to behold. I haven’t done much coast hiking, but have spent a decent amount of time in the cities. Yachats is my favorite of the closer cities, while Rockaway Beach is my favorite that is a bit of a drive away. They are both adorably quaint, but have fantastic beach spots and close to other cool attractions. That you so much for the luck, being in my last term I could definitely use all the advantage I can get!

  2. Hey! So your blog pictures and background are kind of epic. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a student’s blog or what, but then I started reading. I like your headings, they helped keep me focused on what the introduction assignment was all about to begin with. I think that it’s cool that this job is going to directly influence your job performance. I feel like I’m way more engaged with class, not only when it’s actually applicable to everyday life, but when it’s practiced every day already. I can totally relate to you about the need to go farther east. I’ve only been out of Oregon like six times. I have actually never been farther east in Oregon than Bend. I hope to do some traveling this summer and do some real adventuring.

    • Thanks for the comment! What kind of traveling are you hoping to do this summer? Any cool places you’re planning on getting to? So far this summer I don’t have any major trips planned, but in late August I’m flying to Colorado to see one of my favorite bands play at Red Rock Amphitheater, so that’s going to be my “BIG” trip of the season.

  3. Caitlyn,
    Great to meet you! You’re off to a great start with your focus in technology.
    I see you have part of the class blog roll; however, they are not all there, so be sure to go in to your dashboard and get it updated.
    I appreciate that you have that rare thing–good punctuation control!
    I, too, appreciate your headers, although I think “To Answer Your Question” could be sharper because everyone, including me, asks themselves, “What question?”
    I hope you will keep an eye on the Student to Student Forum on Moodle to help out your peers with your obvious expertise.
    I post feedback on your blog and your grade on Moodle where you can see it by clicking on “grades.”
    Thanks!
    Sandy

    • Thank you for your observations. I agree that my second heading can be a bit vague, I will definitely brainstorm and find something that will be a bit more fitting and informative.

  4. Hi, I didn’t see a name so I will call you CHawks. Your heading is cool I and your image is awesome. Living in Oregon most of my I can relate to the desire to explore our wonderful state. The scenery here is never ending in my opinion. With your job working with technology I bet you had no complications creating your introductory blog. I can’t say the same for myself, this is most certainly a challenge for me.

    • CHawks works! I should probably introduce myself, however, so in that case my name is Caitlynn :). You’d think that working in technology I would have an advantage, but I also had quite few hiccups in the process. The company I work for builds and releases its own software, so while I know that front to back, when it comes to other services, I know as little as other people. The one advantage I probably do have is that I am, at this point, am pretty versed in reading through tech documents so I know where to look, and how to sift through mass amounts of information looking for the pieces I need. I will say, it all gets easier with practice, and I bet by the end we will all be blogging machines.

  5. Hi! It appears you put some work into customizing your blog and personalizing it. That’s really cool! I’m also fond of technology and constantly am doing something on my phone, computer, laptop, etc. Your blog already has a personality to it and that’s sometimes hard to achieve so fast.

    • Thank you for the comments! I’m glad that you found my blog personable and hope that I can continue to put those little personal flares on it.

  6. I agree with kallista that it would be interesting to see your favorite spots, my personal favorite is Spencer butte. Also, what video games are you into/have played lately? Also, what is your favorite field of technology?

    • I did respond to Kallista with one of my favorite out of town spots, so for you I’d like to highlight one of my in town spots. The Owen’s Rose Gardens is the best place for spring stroll, especially impromptu (http://www.skinnersbutte.com/rose-garden/). I’ll go there and read or study sometimes. The gardens themselves are gorgeous and there is quite a lot of variety. Everything is very clearly labeled so if your interest in flowers goes beyond aesthetic you might even learn something! It is also small enough that you can see everything with out getting exhausted, even if physical activity isn’t usually your thing. Picking a favorite field of technology is a bit hard. Especially this day in age, where everything is so integrated. If I had to narrow it down though, I’d say it would have to be “The Internet of Things” which is just a fancy way of saying “smart” devices. The refrigerator that has a control panel that acts a digital builtin board, shopping list(that can be emailed to your phone!), and environment monitoring(controlled from your phone!), is part of the internet of things. It basically is any everyday object upgraded to have network(internet) connectivity. I find it really fascinating how designs that already work well can be improved vastly by something as simple as access to the internet.

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