Real Talk with Michael Chase
Meet Michael Chase, Senior Software Developer at Ancestry and member of /dev/color.
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Education: Norfolk State University
A Quote to Live by: “Find happiness in less, in order to make room for what really matters.”
Connect with Michael: on his LinkedIn
Tell us a bit about your early years.
I remember being into computers as early as the age of 8. My grandmother always had a computer and had the internet since AOL had dial up. However, It wasn’t until high school that I realized I wanted to pursue this as a career. I participated in a vocational program where I learned “IT Essentials.” From there, I was blessed with a full scholarship to Norfolk State University where I got my BS in Computer Science.
How did you get started in software?
In high school we learned how to dismantle computers and some basics of networking. Because of this, I thought I would hate being a coder. However, after taking my first coding class freshman year I was immediately hooked. A couple professors took a interest in me and asked me to be a researcher where I essentially was a consultant. I’ve been coding software every since.
What are you focusing most of your time on now?
Aside from my normal day job I spend a lot of time trading crypto currencies. Specifically ethereum, litecoin, and occasionally bitcoin. My long term goal is to build a bot that can trade for me which will allow me to focus more time on open source projects instead of working a traditional 9–5.
What is the most interesting technical challenge you’ve worked on recently?
I recently had to design a HIPAA compliant Redis implementation on top of AWS. This is something that no one else within my company has done but is reasonably documented online. However, I added an extra spin on it by implementing what I call a “headless password.” Essentially, no human will know the password that will be used for this Redis system. It is generated with high entropy and stored encrypted.
Please state 2–3 of your current career goals? Why are these important to you?
One of my current goals is to plan and execute 2 internal hackathons at work. Another is to revisit my /dev/color goals in order to evolve them as my information has evolved. Executing a hackathon at work is important to me because it will provide a space to work on some cool things that I have an interest in. As software developers we spend the majority of our time writing code to bring to life someone else’s vision. This goal will allow me to give some of my time back to my own goals and visions. Evolving my /dev/color goals is really important because things change. For me personally, I had a pivotal change in ideology while listening to Mary Lou Jepsen speak at the /dev/color open house. This change in ideology has huge implications on my goals and I want to ensure I’m still going down the right path.
Give an example of a recent time you’ve helped a fellow engineer. What lessons can be taken from their situation?
I recently helped a close friend debug some issues in her implementation of a system vulnerability scanner. Ironically, we met in college because I was her tutor. She doesn’t find coding very attractive and she needed some guidance on why her code wasn’t working, how to work with dependencies in Python and a few other things. As it turned out, she had copy pasted some code in that she didn’t fully understand. In addition to helping her solve her current need, I encouraged her to really read through the code and understand it. A week or so later she messaged me telling me she had done just that and it had paid off tremendously.
In what areas can /dev/color members reach out to you for help?
I’m always open to help folks with anything. I have a tendency to learn things just to help people with it. I have expertise in the following areas: React-Native, React, Python, web development, API development and design, System Architecting, HIPAA compliance in AWS, NodeJS, and self care.
As a member of /dev/color you are also committed to developing yourself. Can you share some areas you are looking to improve?
Currently my biggest challenge can be summed up as career navigation. Although I like to code and solve problems, I’m not a huge fan of working to solve other people’s problems. I want to be able to get to a place where I can continue to grow as a developer and architect by learning from others, as well as have more autonomy in what I do.
Can you speak about any passions outside of programming?
I watch a lot of documentaries that deal with hard truths both globally and nationally. One of the things I’ve really become passionate about is eating healthy and exercising. I was amazed to learn how bad the food I use to eat is. The things that are constantly marketed to us on a daily basis just aren’t what they seem. I try as much as possible to teach friends and family how to have better eating habits and what bad things to look for in foods they consume.
Why is being a part of an organization like /dev/color important to you?
When I originally joined /dev/color it was sort of a “you had me at black people” moment. My fiancé and I moved here from the DC metro area which has a high concentration of black professionals that you can both directly and indirectly lean on for advice and support. When we got to the bay area we just couldn’t find that. /dev/color was able to provide many areas of support whether that be a network of opportunities, advice, expertise, and just great people to share life with; who just so happen to also look like me.
Anything else you’d like to say/express?
Self care is very important. One aspect of this is mental health. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to see a therapist for even your everyday issues. I never viewed myself as a person who needed therapy, but once I started going I realized how beneficial it truly is.
/dev/color is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to maximize the impact of Black software engineers. We create environments where Black software engineers can learn from one another and hold one another accountable for reaching ambitious career goals. To learn more, check out our website and follow our blog & twitter account.
