I grew up rough. Capitol Hill in Seattle, Portland, and Santa Cruz were my classrooms. Home was a war zone. My parents fought about my mom’s infidelity and my dad’s alcoholism. I could have stayed, but I chose to move on. I stayed with family from about 12 to 15, then hit the road on my own at almost 16. I kept ending up in Seattle, usually Capitol Hill. I went back home a few times, but the same fights pushed me back out.
My brother Justin wanted out too. He died by suicide in 2002 after a huge fight with our mother. That loss still sits heavy.
During all of this I found a relationship with Jesus. Street ministries and the Bible gave me a different path. Romans 12 spoke to me about making things right. I went back to Utah and spent nine months in jail for old cannabis charges. That time was part of my reset.
I had a chance to settle into my family’s religion. I had been on the rolls since I was eight. After a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to skip the labels and keep a direct relationship with Jesus. Pastor Gene Short in Orem, Utah helped me, and I was baptized in the Provo River in 2000.
The IT road starts
I started at Microsoft through Convergys in Orem, Utah as a Tier II tech on the Windows 2000 project. In 2002, I stayed on the Microsoft track, working with MSN and Qwest. I met my wife, who is now my ex as of 2020. I stepped into independent work, building websites and doing computer service as an independent contractor through ComputerRepair.com.
In 2004, two years into marriage, we decided to have kids. I took a corporate job with Adelphia Communications for the insurance and stability. After our daughter was born in 2004, we moved back to Utah and kept building our IT service business, Thompson Professional Networks. We knew more kids were coming, so I took a field manager job with Federal Communications. The travel did not last. My wife had postpartum depression and needed me home. I went back to self-employment.
Money was not overflowing, but it was enough. I started other small businesses too. A consignment store. A screen printing shop. A vaporizer store. I kept the IT work going. Then I decided to send a resume and was hired on the first try at Talyst Inc. as a Tier II support engineer for automated pharmacy systems.
The crash
In 2013, after almost six years at Talyst and with two more kids and one on the way, I was traveling between Northern California and Seattle for work and training. A drunk driver going the wrong way on I-5 hit me head on. That wreck changed everything. Workers’ comp helped me through the recovery, which is still ongoing twelve years later. It was a blessing and a curse. It covered care, but it also reminded me how little control employees have when disaster strikes.
Reference: https://kval.com/news/local/man-dies-in-crash-driving-the-wrong-way-on-i-5-near-state-border
After the accident I went back to working for myself. I invested in a multi-unit apartment and a vaporizer business. The fights over control, money, and who was the boss ruined it. We sold the businesses and took losses. Divorce followed, and that pain landed hardest on the kids.
A return to corporate, briefly
I tried the corporate path again and joined Pacific Office Automation as a Technical Account Manager. The pay was great. The benefits were solid. The culture was toxic. They ran it like a military platoon. That might work with the right people, but morale was awful. When I was hired our team had six people. Within six weeks five of us quit, including me. The manager, Shane Meyers, had a big ego and did not want anyone outshining him. You can see the pattern on Glassdoor and other review sites.
Two years later I looked them up again. They fired their CEO and got hit with a 70 million dollar lawsuit. There were sexual abuse scandals in the mix too.
Glassdoor review example: “Pacific Office Automation Always Getting sued”
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Pacific-Office-Automation-E113506-RVW78980571.htm
OregonLive on Doug Pitassi, former CEO:
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/04/doug-pitassi-ousted-ceo-of-pacific-office-automation-sues-his-old-company-for-70-million.html
From what I saw and what others report, it is back-breaking work and long hours without overtime for exempt roles like TAM. They make big promises to recruits that do not match reality. Turnover is sky high. Again, check Glassdoor.
Back on my own, and another hit
I went back to my company, Thompson Professional Networks. Low voltage work, installs, security cameras. My body is full of titanium from the wreck. On a ladder one day, I was unstable, started to fall, and in trying to steady myself I cut off my pinky. That put me at home.
So I turned to software full time.
Building products from my sofa
I started shipping projects.
Airwave Automator and the Airwave Audio Player Matrix, a free speech radio toolset:
https://disruptarian.com/blog/airwave-audio-player-matrix-free-speech-radio-for-the-real-internet/
Verifact, an idea I have worked on since 2011, is now in beta:
https://veracityintegrity.com/verifact-put-truth-back-at-the-center-of-your-content/
The AI wave is coming hard. It will change everything more than any industrial or cultural shift we have seen. That is scary and exciting. My advice is simple. Do what you love, and love what you do. But learn AI no matter what. If you ignore it, you will be left behind. That is not hype. That is reality.
I liked running stores with my kids. I learned a lot in corporate. But building software at home is my favorite. I get to dream big, try to solve real problems, and do it from my sofa with good music while I spend time with my children.
That is my reality. I hope you can use it.
What I learned: corporate vs self-employed
People ask which is better. Here is my straight answer from living both.
Self-employment, pros:
• Freedom to pick projects, clients, and hours
• Direct connection between effort and reward
• Room to build with your family involved
• Faster learning and more varied skills
• You control your values and your brand
Self-employment, cons:
• Income swings, some months are lean
• You carry the risk, including health and safety
• Admin never ends, taxes, compliance, bookkeeping
• Fights over control inside a family business can sink it
• No built-in benefits during crisis unless you set them up
Corporate, pros:
• Steady paycheck and benefits, especially health insurance
• Big systems to learn from, larger teams, bigger tools
• Workers’ comp and formal support when disaster hits
• Clear ladders to climb if the culture is healthy
Corporate, cons:
• Culture can be toxic and political
• Managers can block growth to protect themselves
• Long hours without fair overtime for exempt roles
• Promises at hiring often do not match reality
• Your life can be rearranged by someone else’s decision
Here is the truth. Both paths can work. Both can fail. What matters is ownership. If you do take a job, own your skills and your exit plan. If you build your own thing, own your systems and your safety net. And either way, learn AI.
Closing thought
I am not telling you to copy me. I am telling you to take ownership of your life, your tools, and your time. Learn what you need to stay useful. Build what you believe in. And do not wait for permission.
If my story helps you choose your next step, good. If it pushes you to finally build, even better.
Links mentioned:
• My 2002 transformation story, Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20091022110847/http://mystory.behindzioncurtain.com/
• I-5 crash report reference: https://kval.com/news/local/man-dies-in-crash-driving-the-wrong-way-on-i-5-near-state-border
• Glassdoor review example: https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Pacific-Office-Automation-E113506-RVW78980571.htm
• OregonLive on POA CEO and lawsuit: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/04/doug-pitassi-ousted-ceo-of-pacific-office-automation-sues-his-old-company-for-70-million.html
• Airwave Automator and Audio Player Matrix: https://disruptarian.com/blog/airwave-audio-player-matrix-free-speech-radio-for-the-real-internet/
• Verifact beta: https://veracityintegrity.com/verifact-put-truth-back-at-the-center-of-your-content/
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