Learning AI.
Sharing
knowledge.
I've shepherded multiple codebases through Angular 8 to Angular 17 without blinking, keeping 20,000+ users productive the whole time.
25 years. Same curiosity.
About Me
25+ years building enterprise applications at Union Pacific Railroad, where downtime is not an option. Graduate-certified in Cybersecurity, now pursuing a Master's in AI. I write about what I learn, automate what I can, and share everything.
Why I Build
I got into software because I liked solving puzzles. I stayed because I realized the best puzzles aren't in the code — they're in the gap between what a team thinks it needs and what it actually needs. Same curiosity, 25 years later.
Outside of work, I'm pursuing a Master's in Cyber Operations because security isn't a feature you bolt on — it's a mindset you build with. When I'm not staring at a screen, I'm probably staring at a different screen, or pretending I'll finish that home automation project someday.
What I Write About
384 posts spanning 2007-2014 — sharing what I learned as I learned it. ColdFusion, frameworks, testing, and developer tooling. The early work, before Angular took over.
My Recent Career
Union Pacific Railroad
Career Progression • June 2016 - Present
Key Achievements
- Security: Discovered critical SMTP spoofing vulnerability through Python analysis (2024)
- Automation: Built Python ETL and Tableau self-service programs that retired manual admin work and trained 50+ users
- Delivery: Shipped the $1.8M Shipment Management application on Angular 14, kept 20K+ users productive through Angular migrations
Associate System Engineer (Technology)
September 2024 - Present
Leading development of customer-facing web applications using JavaScript frameworks (Lit and Angular). Coordinating monthly tech deep dives with 20+ cross-functional stakeholders since September 2024. Built the Customer Vision search feature in Angular 17.
Manager I Audit Information Technology (Finance)
January 2024 - August 2024
Ran IT audits and security assessments, auditing CIS v7 controls over 6 months (January-August 2024). Found a critical SMTP spoofing vulnerability through Python analysis in July 2024 and escalated it to Tech leadership.
Associate System Engineer (Technology)
December 2021 - December 2023
Built Shipment Management application with Angular 14 over 9-month development cycle (2022-2023), contributing to $1.8M initiative supporting 20K+ users with 1.7M monthly hits. Developed enterprise platforms including Shipment Dashboard, Forecast, Track Shipment, and analytics dashboard providing business intelligence across shipping operations. Built out Tableau self-service infrastructure for analysts during this period.
Business Intelligence & Analytics (2016-2021)
Jun 2016 - Nov 2021
Four roles spanning business integration consulting, BI management, and data visualization. Built 29 Tableau data sources, trained 50+ users on Tableau self-service, automated stale content cleanup with Python, and retired 9 legacy ColdFusion applications — reducing maintenance overhead across the organization. Maintained legacy ColdFusion-backed Angular applications while building new analytics tooling.
Education & Certifications
Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence
University of Nebraska at Omaha
In Progress
M.S. Cybersecurity (Cyber Operations)
University of Nebraska at Omaha
In Progress
B.S. Management Information Systems
Peru State College
1999
Google Cybersecurity Certificate
Google / Coursera
Completed Dec 2024
What People Say
Mike took ownership when we needed it most — automating user management so analysts stopped chasing manual admin work. Customers came to him directly with new projects, and he shipped.
He picked up Tableau review board leadership and made our Python ETL stack certifiable. Easy to trust with hard problems.
Contact
Prefer email — I respond within a business day. LinkedIn works too if that's your speed.