Alright, it's been a while since I wrote my last article here - but that should tell you just how busy I've been! The latter half of 2022 and all of 2023 were packed with a bunch of new experiences: a new job, the birth of our first child, starting a woodworking YouTube channel, and more. Let's look at each one:

2022

I joined Microsoft as a Software Engineer

Around February/March of 2022, amidst the post-COVID hiring boom, I received interview invitations from several major tech companies, including Microsoft. Although I was enjoying my role at T-Mobile, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the vast amount of opportunities at some of these other companies. Over the next six weeks, I spent about 6-8 extra hours a day working to prepare for interviews. This involved all the stuff you might expect for Software Engineering interview preparation -- a ton of Leetcode, re-reading Cracking the Code Interview, brushing up on my behavioral interview skills, and a lot of mock interviews.

After a rigorous interview process, I was thrilled to receive offers from Microsoft and ultimately joined what was then known as the Microsoft Cloud Data Sciences team -- now renamed Customer Experience Data + AI. I feel fortunate to work with such excellent leadership and colleagues, and the learning and growth opportunities here have exceeded my expectations. In less than two years, I've worked with Scala, Java, Python, C#, TypeScript and Powershell (and probably more languages that I'm forgetting). I've built data pipelines, REST APIs, user interfaces, CI/CD pipelines, automation tools, and much more. At Microsoft, the breadth of work available really is unmatched, with a high concentration of industry experts across numerous fields to learn from. I'm having a blast so far, and even 2 years in, it still feels like I've got so much more ahead of me.

Introducing Doggo #2: Rambo

In the summer of 2022, shortly after I started at Microsoft, my wife and I decided to adopt a second dog. We found this guy, Rambo, at the same shelter where we got our first dog, Atlas. Rambo has been the perfect blend of smart and athletic, but also calm and goofy. He's definitely a very family-oriented dog, and he's been great for us as well as for Atlas. A few weeks after Rambo's arrival, we installed a fence around our entire backyard, giving the dogs plenty of space to play—mostly chasing squirrels they never catch—while giving us a short break from their energy indoors!

New Beginnings

In late 2022, we found out we had a little one on the way! There are no words to describe the excitement we felt. We found out we were having a baby boy and he would be due in July 2023, and so we quickly began preparing everything -- the nursery, bottles, diapers, a stroller, a car seat... and a million other things. As stressful as it was getting ready for our first child, the joy and anticipation made it infinitely more enjoyable.

2023

Taking My Woodworking to YouTube

In Spring of 2023, I started Fullerton Woodworks, a YouTube channel where I could showcase some of the projects I'd been working on, both big and small. I initially started by mostly uploading Shorts (videos under a minute), to build up my content and get some practice filming, editing, recording voiceovers, etc. I then ventured into full-length project videos, including projects like a chessboard I made for my dad, an outdoor table for my mom, and a fancy moxon-style vise for my workbench. To my surprise, I gained more than 1K subscriptions in just a few months and received a lot of positive feedback from viewers! Since the birth of our son, I've had less time to focus on this channel, so I haven't uploaded any new content for quite some time. However, rest assured that I have every intention of coming back with more content: for example, I've got a big backlog of footage from making my son's nursery furniture, which I hope he'll enjoy watching one day.

In the meantime, if you are interested in checking out my YouTube channel, you can find it here. Or, feel free to follow me over on Instagram!

Riley Chase Fullerton: Born July 26, 2023

Okay, I know you might be expecting to see a cute baby picture... but my wife and I prefer to keep our son off the internet 😅. Still, the day he was born was the most important of my life! He arrived healthy, happy, and eager to meet the world. Becoming a parent changes everything—free time becomes a rare commodity, expenses multiply, and household chores seem to quadruple. Oh, and sleep? That's kind of a thing of the past, at least for the first 3-4 months. But Riley has been such a happy baby, always smiling and interacting with everyone, and he's progressed so quickly. In just about 9 months, he's already sitting up, babbling his first words, and trying to crawl. There's nothing to compare to the experience of having kids, and we've had an incredible experience with our first one. Thanks for being a great son, Riley!

Looking Forward in 2024

We're actually about a third of the way through 2024 already (I know, I'm a bit late for a recap),but there's plenty to share about this year and my plans for the remaining months. I'm thrilled to report a recent promotion at work, along with some new projects that are very exciting to work on. So far this year, my versatility and adaptability has really been put to the test at Microsoft, which I absolutely love. For the rest of the year, I aim to further broaden my skills and impact both at Microsoft as well as in my personal endeavors, including software development, woodworking, and most importantly, learning to be the best dad I can be.

We also have a lot of house projects, many of which I'm tackling myself, which puts some of my "handyman" skills to the test. The most significant is a complete bathroom renovation—stripping everything back to the framing to start over. So far I've installed new subfloor, fixed plumbing, and poured self-leveling underlayment in preparation for a new tub and flooring, and there's a huge amount of work left after that, but it will look great once everything is back in order. I may even end up building the vanity myself in the woodshop -- we'll see!

Lastly, I can't believe that Riley is going to be almost 1.5 years old by the end of 2024. As an adult, time flies by pretty quickly without much apparent change. But for children, especially infants and toddlers, every week, sometimes even every day, brings something new. It keeps my wife and I continually excited to see what's new each day with Riley, and I'm excited to see all the new skills and behaviors he will develop over the next 8 months. Overall, 2024 is shaping up to be one of my busiest years yet, and I hope to do a better job of keeping up with this blog to share all the fun we're having!

Thanks for reading!