Hello, World!

Original: https://www.jacobchak.com/blog/hello-world

Published: Jan 10, 2025

Read Time: 2 min

Hey there! 👋

My name is Jacob and I'm a developer and a product engineer. I love music, movies, and photography. I also studied philosophy about ten years ago! Loved it then, still love it now.

Of course, finding a job with a philosophy degree was tough. I briefly tried journalism, then finance (and even got a bunch of licenses), but neither path really clicked.

How I got into Tech

Around 2018, tech was booming again, and everyone seemed excited about becoming a developer, including me. I jumped on the bandwagon, taking Harvard’s CS50 online and MIT's Mathematics for Computer Science. Life-changing stuff!

Tech feels a little bit like playing with Lego, actually even more like philosophy. It's logical but creative, and genuinely enjoyable. It's about problem solving, but it's also creating more problems, or maybe it's just me!

I wanted to get a computer science degree. However, universities weren't too keen on someone without a strong science or math background. Got a lot of rejection because of that, then I got into Mount Royal University.

Things got challenging quickly. I was stuck in Hong Kong due to Covid, dealing with a 14-hour time difference. I spent many late nights studying math, earned a good GPA, and eventually transferred to the University of Calgary.

Computer science wasn't easy. My classmates seemed far ahead in math, but I was lucky to have my friends in school pushing through these with me and I finally graduated.

I thought, "Finally, I made it!" Then suddenly, AI exploded in popularity, and it felt like everything changed overnight. But honestly, it was all worth it. I love building things and solving problems. Before we all become obsolete, these new tools will be essential for everyone who wants to build something.

What I'm Up To Now

Currently, I work at a nonprofit organization. We're a small team handling a lot. I build mobile apps, web apps, write on-demand queries for reports that support people in mental health services, handle tech support, write project requirements. It's a lot, but I love it.

After work, I work on several projects with my other friends. We build apps, websites, and even some AI tools. It's a lot of fun, and I learn something new every day.

I also enjoy music, movies, and photography. You can check out my Spotify playlist for some of my favorite tunes, or see what I've been watching on Letterboxd, or browse my photography collection.

Check Out My Projects

Feel free to take a peek at my projects page. I can't share everything (client confidentiality and all), but you'll see some early experiments and bigger projects I'm currently tackling.

Want to chat? Drop a message through the homepage form, shoot me an email, or connect on social media.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jacob