Who is Jason Straughan?
I am a San Antonio based freelance web applications developer.
You can view my resume here.
I began my programming journey as a small boy, on a Commodore 64, and at school using an Apple IIe. Procedural BASIC and LOGO were my only languages until my mid-teens, but I loved them and used them (mainly BASIC) often.
By the time I was 12, I was using an 8086XT - the predecessor to the 286, and was turned on to the world of telecommunications via a 900bps external modem. Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) were the place I spent most of my time, and I was using FIDO for email long before a POP3 server was available to the general public.
Over the five years, my life revolved around learning, coding, breaking and fixing, doing anything I could to increase my mastery of the computer sciences. I was 17 when I landed my first IT job, as a PASCAL programmer at a local title company.
Like many college students, I held many 'odd-jobs' during those years, but always kept one foot in the IT sector. For example, while working as an advertising account manger at The Huntsville Item, I freelanced a web-form for the 'Readers Choice Awards' section of their website, and helped land them the 'AP Website of the Year Award' for their circulation size and region.
When 'y2k' rolled around, I was preparing to launch my first real entrepreneurial venture, ComPro Computers. Opening on January 3rd, 2000 (The first Monday of the year), ComPro served the people and businesses of Huntsville, Texas from our retail location in West Hills Mall.
ComPro finally closed it's doors, but I kept going. In 2003 I began working in the LED sign industry, working with secure wireless communication to EMC's (signs and 'jumbotrons'). While a project manager with eSign and adsLED, I had the privilege to work with great clients like ESPN at Super Bowl XXL, the Dept. of Defense, major sporting centers and universities, and other businesses and organizations.
In September of 2005, my wife and I were blessed with a beautiful little boy, and within months, I had decided to make the transition to a home-based professional. Although I truly loved my career in the EMC industry, and enjoyed seeing the country, I knew I did not want to let my career stop me from seeing my family.
So, I started freelance coding, and expanding my skills.
Over the last several years, my love for coding has grown along with my skill set. The internet has given birth to a new age in human existence, and I am excited to be apart of it.
I have had the privilege to work on great projects for great companies as a freelance coder, including end users such as The Steve Miller Band, Alpine Pictures, The United States Air Force, and countless others.
I look forward to working with you, also.
Jason D. Straughan
