If you believe in the axiom “choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life” then you know exactly what I mean when I say I refuse to work. When I was in the 4th grade, the only access I had to program a computer was at the local library for an hour on Sundays. During the week I would prepare for that hour by writing code on paper so I would not have to waste screen time thinking about the code I was going to write. Some might say I spent the week working on code. That was not the case, I was lazy and refused to work. I spent the week doing what I loved to do.
As an adult, things have not changed too much. What do I do for a living? Compete with Mindstorm robots, develop Mario games in GameSalad and Unity, create Raspberry Pi web servers, build arcade emulators, hack video game systems, assemble networks, upgrade Apple computers, program digital magic eight balls, edit digital images, explore the 80’s tech revolution (talk about my childhood), create mobile apps, code in Python, Java, and C#, attend technology competitions, design digital pets, and cultivate interest and careers in computer science.
Those are just a few examples of the “work” I am doing now. Through possible donor support, I might have to “work” even harder as the CLHS CompSci program continues to grow by adding a NAO humanoid robot, bringing augmented reality to the classroom with the Apple Vision Pro, and maybe building a screen-accurate replica R2-D2. I know, how do I find the courage to get out of bed each morning and face the day?
I would like to thank Concordia for giving me the opportunity to develop and grow our computer science program, the donors for funding the vision, the parents for giving me the students needed to fill the classes, and the students for making the choice to take the computer science journey with me.
Honestly, the only work I could imagine myself doing other than this would be to have Bon Jovi open for me on my third annual farewell world tour.
Scott Storm - Director of Technology/Computer Science Instructor