Joshua Tanton

My 20+ years journey with computers and technology

 

I was originally from the Philippines born to Chinese parents and migrated here to Canada back in 1997. I discovered my keen interest and passion in computers even when I was little and took a sequential programming course with a Genie II. In high school, my interest grew to PC hardware where I would spend countless hours modding custom PCs and managing office networks.  

 

Towards the end of high school, I started graphic design with applications such as CorelDraw, PageMaker, AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max, and Photoshop 4. At the internet’s infancy, I also took up web development and worked on several projects using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Flash. 

 

It was only when I reached my third year in college studying Civil Engineering wherein we were required to take the first of a series of programming courses with Turbo Pascal. I can still remember the excitement and wonder I felt when I wrote my first program that computes an area of a square based on user input. I instantly fell in love with programming and knew that I had found my true passion. 

 

Unfortunately, since I was only a few years away from my engineering degree, I decided to finish my course and worked in the construction industry for several years as a structural steel engineer and contractor. But the interest and passion for coding never left my mind and always took a space at the back of my mind. 

 

Then came the economic crash of 2008. In hindsight, this may have been the biggest blessing in my life as it pushed me to make a career change. With my deep desire of coding still burning within me, I enrolled myself in Applied Software Development and iOS Mobile Development at British Columbia Institute of Technology. 

 

I briefly worked at a UBC startup on the development of facial recognition software and eventually moved to a BC based company developing Access Control Systems (ACS) that manages high-risk assets for medium to large scale companies, casinos, prisons, and the RCMP. One of the highlights of my career was being able to briefly work at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

 

My Endeavor to Give Back to my Community. 

Although I have had quite a long and fulfilling career, I feel a genuine need to be able to give back to my community and the greatest country I have called home. After the birth of my daughter, I was sincerely surprised to realize that I have an authentic love of children. My hope is to be able to impart my knowledge and experience and become a true inspiration for my students to pursue their own paths through a fun and invaluable experience with STEM education.