about this particular human
the origin story (or: how i accidentally became a tech person)
Once upon a time, there was a young lad who thought computers were for games and commerce degrees were for sensible people. Naturally, I chose commerce, not because I had any particular affinity for spreadsheets, mind you, but because my mates did, and peer pressure is a powerful force when youâre of an age that rhymes with âshorty.â
Picture this: Windows 95 humming away on the family computer, and me, the designated household IT department, which mostly involved turning it off and on again. When things went properly sideways (as they often did), Iâd blame my little brother. Poor chap probably thought he had cursed fingers for years.
the academic meandering years
I accumulated qualifications the way some people collect stamps-enthusiastically but without a clear plan. A Bachelor of Commerce from a country that has more sheep than people, followed by a postgraduate diploma in taxation (because nothing says âfunâ quite like depreciation schedules), and eventually a graduate diploma in computing (when I finally admitted computers might be more than just elaborate gaming machines).
The computing qualification was generously sponsored by my employer at the time, who were absolutely lovely about paying for it while ensuring my salary remained at subsistence levels. How thoughtful of them to invest in my future while keeping me humble in the present.
The taxation stint lasted precisely one month. Turns out, being the youngest person in an office full of calculators and existential dread wasnât my calling. Who could have predicted?
the accidental IT odyssey
What followed was a career path that would make a pinball look purposeful:
specimen collection phase (call centre): Because everyone needs to start somewhere, and apparently âsomewhereâ for me was explaining to people why their internet wasnât working. Humble beginnings, innit?!
the sql interlude: Learned a bit of SQL, forgot most of it, rediscovered it later. Itâs like riding a bicycle, except the bicycle occasionally throws syntax errors at you.
technical apparatus maintenance (desktop support): Skipped helpdesk entirely. Apparently, I was overqualified for some things and underqualified for others. The sweet spot of corporate confusion.
network & security: Cisco and Palo Alto devices became my daily companions. Spent more time in data centres than a reasonable person should, wandering around server rooms like a lost tourist asking âWhich blinking light means everythingâs fine?â If thereâs a major facility within a thousand-mile radius, Iâve probably stood in it looking confused at some point.
devsecops consulting: Landed in consulting without really knowing what DevSecOps meant. Went from ânot having an opinionâ and asking devices quality questions to âhaving an opinionâ and asking Stack Overflow quality questions. Progress!
cyber security & grc: Currently trying to figure out what GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) is actually made of. Two years in, and it remains as mysterious as why people put pineapple on pizza. The investigation continues.
During my DevSecOps days, I somehow became the person theyâd send confused trainees to when they needed someone to explain why security felt like trying to nail jelly to a wall. Apparently, I have a knack for translating technical speak into something resembling human language, a skill I accidentally developed back in my student days when I was mentoring English students who looked as bewildered as I feel most days. These days I mentor one lucky soul who gets to benefit from my accumulated confusion.
building things that might matter: Iâve discovered I absolutely love creating something from scratch and watching it develop legs and wings. Currently developing an AI Auditor application that might help IRAP and ISO assessors automate the mapping of controls to evidence, one of those projects that started as âwouldnât it be nice ifâŚâ and has quietly grown into something that might actually turn into a mighty thing.
The process is brilliant: writing Python with my LLM comrades helping out with a few thousand lines of code, and every now and then waking up at night thinking âthatâs a good feature to have.â Itâs the sort of fun that makes you forget youâre supposed to be working. Iâm hoping to write a blog about the whole experience soon, assuming I can tear myself away from adding âjust one more feature.â
when iâm not breaking things professionally
gardening enthusiast: Coming from farming stock, Iâve got dirt under my fingernails and plants on the brain. Thereâs something deeply satisfying about coaxing life from soil, probably because computers never grow leaves when you water them.
Iâm the sort of person who wakes up at 4 AM to dig holes and transplant things, but would happily chuck an on-call phone out the window if the lottery ever cooperates. Priorities, you see.
reluctant traveller: Did a bit of wandering with the old man years ago, and Iâve ticked some boxes since, though the list keeps getting longer. Funny how the world keeps making more interesting places when youâre not looking.
current existential crisis
These days, I find myself marvelling at artificial intelligence while simultaneously wondering if we humans have managed to create something that might just kill off the very thing that created it-our brains. Itâs rather like teaching your replacement to do your job, except your replacement never gets tired, doesnât need coffee, and probably wonât blame its mistakes on its little brother.
why this blog?
Someone once said that writing is thinking made visible. If thatâs true, then this blog is proof that my thinking needs a good tidy-up. Consider it a digital garden where ideas grow slowly, bugs are features, and every now and then, something actually makes sense.
get in touch
If youâve made it this far, youâre either genuinely interested or severely procrastinating. Either way, I salute you. Feel free to drop me a line at contact@felixtp.me. I promise Iâm more coherent in written form than this About page might suggest.
Currently located somewhere between âlearning something newâ and âwondering what Iâve gotten myself intoâ-which, coincidentally, has been my default state for the better part of four decades.