Coding for Government
By Steven Tidd
Growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, Steven was one of the first generations to be fully immersed in technology. He enjoyed learning about how things work and even considered pursuing a career in technology. Although he had an interest in studying computers, he didn’t know anyone who worked in an IT related job and didn’t see a clear career path. He instead chose to study Business at West Virginia University and obtain a Bachelors of Science in Business.
He worked several managerial roles but still felt like he wanted to pursue a career in technology. After deciding to follow his passion, he left the business world and started teaching at a local high school. Through AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, and Web Development courses, he was able to dig deeper into computer programming, algorithms, and general web development and learn more about computer science. He eventually left teaching and began working in a tech role with the federal government.
Currently, Steven works for a federal government contractor as a software engineer tasked with building and maintaining several web applications used by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
OMB serves the President of the United States in overseeing the implementation of his or her vision across the Executive Branch. OMB’s mission is to assist the President in meeting policy, budget, management, and regulatory objectives and to fulfill the agency’s statutory responsibilities.
Steven’s favorite part of being a software engineer for the federal government is having to solve unique and often difficult problems that have the potential to affect our entire country. He builds and maintains enterprise level Java web applications, with most of the code he writes involving creating data, reading data, updating data, and deleting data (CRUD) for government employees. He also writes code to develop internal tools for his team, which helps to automate processes.
He utilizes the following tools & programming languages in his day-to-day:
- Java
- Javascript
- SQL
- Linux
- Docker
- Jenkins
- Github
- Visual Studio Code
- IntelliJ
Steven’s coding journey has left him with lots of advice for aspiring coders. When asked what advice he’d give to students interested in coding, Steven said, “Be inquisitive. Don’t be afraid to start experimenting and tinkering with code. Building almost anything can be extremely rewarding, whether it’s a simple 2D computer game or a locally hosted web application.”
Outside of work, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and playing pickleball, in addition to watching baseball, football, and hockey. He loves playing board games like Settlers of Catan and Terraforming Mars. Steven resides on the east coast with his wife, 3 year old daughter, and Murphy, their 1 year old Australian Shepherd.
