Tools of the Trade

Software I've used

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Visual Studio Code

I love the code coloring, shortcuts and autofill to boost productivity, and while I currently don't use GitHub CoPilot so that I can practice coding and learning without it, I tried it out and was impressed in how well it predicted what I wanted to program next. I can see how that will be a game-changer in productivity in the future.

office suites

I am very competent in office suite software - I used Microsoft Office for 10+ years before switching to LibreOffice and Google Docs. Regardless of which tools are at my disposal, I'm confident I can adapt and adjust to what I am able to use.

I particularly enjoy creating spreadsheets. For example, for the past 8 years I've tracked snow days at our school and cultivated a formula that can predict a snow day. I used this spreadsheet calculation in a new website I made: snowdaymichigan.com

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Image Manipulation Software

I've used GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) for over 10 years and use it on a regular basis to edit/adjust pictures. I recently also purchased Adobe's PhotoShop and found that my skills in GIMP transfer well to PhotoShop.

video editing software logos
Video Editing Software

I've used a number of video editors over the years, including OpenShot, Shotcut, and Kdenlive. I'm most familiar with Kdenlive and have successfully used it to start a few YouTube channels: Family Recap, Family Recap Junior and Chemistry Pitch. I recently purchased Final Cut Pro and Adobe's Premiere Pro and look forward to seeing how my skills transfer to those programs.

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Backup Software

While I love Google products like Drive and use most of them, I try not to have all of my personal information available to Google. For that reason I do use other apps like Dropbox, ProtonMail and Firefox. I have a healthy desire for some privacy.

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Version Control

Version control is important for any project. While the majority of my work on GitHub has been for personal projects, much of it should transfer to other work as well. I also took a Udemy course on GitHub to familiarize myself with all of the features of Git.

GitHub Profile

Operating Systems

How I feel about the 3 main systems

office suites
Which One?

When it comes to Operating Systems, I can navigate any system with ease and am flexible with whichever I need to use. I used Windows for about 15 years before switching to Linux for the past 10 years (Linux Mint to be specific - a derivation of Ubuntu). For a number of years, I've used iMac's for livestream software and I recently purchased a MacBook this past summer so I am comfortable in that environment as well.

If I were forced to make a choice as to which OS I prefer, I would lean towards Linux Mint. I am free to customize software the way I like, it is more friendly for developer tools like terminal and SSH usage, and I like the Open Source philosophy.