Est. 1981 • 40+ Years of Battle-Tested Knowledge
The Book of Dave
The Story of Being Unemployable But Unstoppable
This is the story of a 9-year-old coding prodigy who became unemployable in his 50s—not because he lacks skill, but because the system can't handle someone who learned everything the hard way. No degree, but 12 years of college classes (and no degree) in computer science, architecture, math, and physics. No memorization, just pure understanding.
The First Spark
The Setup: Mall. Radio Shack. "FREE Computer Classes" sign. I'm 9 years old and curious.
The Scene: Instructor teaching adults how to turn on a TRS-80. Basic questions. Confused faces.
The Magic: While he's explaining power buttons, I'm coding Olympic pole vaulting. Then track and field—discus, shot put, hurdles.
The Moment: The entire class stops. Everyone stands behind me. Adults watching a 9-year-old code complex simulations.
That was the spark. The moment I knew I was different. My first line of code. 1981.
TRS-80 MC-10 - What I Got
TI-99/4A - What I Wanted
Raised by the Streets, Saved by the Code
Dad's Schedule: 3rd shift warehouse, Monday-Saturday, 3PM-Midnight. Sleeping when I was awake.
Mom's Schedule: Hair stylist, Tuesday-Saturday, 7AM-5PM. Gone before I woke up.
My Reality: Wake up alone. Carpool to school. Empty house until 6PM. Parents home for 3 hours. Bedtime at 9PM.
The Heritage: Mexican/African/Sicilian bloodlines. Visible minority in every room. Don't talk like them. Don't act like them. Learned life on my own terms.
I had no parents. I raised myself. The streets taught me everything. But my TRS-80 was my escape from that world—a digital sanctuary where I could create instead of survive.
Physical World:
Gang members, violence, survival mode, judgment, racism
Digital World:
Creation, logic, possibility, control, pure potential
The Dark Night of the Soul
"I don't know if I am strong enough to keep going"
Every single night at 3AM, this question haunted me. The crushing weight of existence, the loneliness, the bipolar depression—all converging in the darkest hour.
The Analytical Survival Ritual: I would write two lists. Good things in my life. Bad things in my life. As long as I could make the "good" list longer than the "bad" list, I could muster the strength to survive another day.
What I Wanted to Talk About: Algorithms, space programs, architecture, system design, the future of computing.
What Everyone Else Talked About: Cars, girls, sports, TV shows, surface-level conversations.
Being a genius in a world that doesn't understand genius is the loneliest existence imaginable.
Good List:
- My computer and the worlds I could build
- The problems I could solve with code
- The potential for tomorrow to be different
- The knowledge I was gaining every day
Bad List:
- Complete isolation and loneliness
- No one understood my passion
- Bipolar depression crushing my spirit
- Poverty and uncertainty
The Rarest Gift: True Intellectual Connection
"I can count on both hands the people I have encountered that I was able to just speak freely with. We rambled about life, the universe, and everything, drinking martinis until 3AM—speaking about everything from life beyond our universe to debates on the existence of dinosaurs."
The Scarcity: In 40+ years of life, fewer than ten people who could match the intellectual frequency. Fewer than ten conversations where I didn't have to translate, simplify, or hold back.
The Magic: Those rare souls who could jump from quantum physics to philosophy to the possibility of life beyond our universe without missing a beat. Who understood that the best conversations happen after midnight when the barriers come down.
The Loss: Some moved away. Some died. Some just drifted into different lives. But the memory of those 3AM martini conversations remains—proof that true intellectual connection is possible, even if it's heartbreakingly rare.
"I miss you, Jim. :( I hope you're well. I miss you every time I think of a martini."
— The kind of loss that hits you in random moments, triggered by the simplest things
Five Decades of Evolution
1980s
The Awakening
• First line of code (1981)
• TRS-80 MC-10 and TI-99/4A
• Olympic games programming
• BASIC and Assembly language
• The spark of genius
1990s
The Foundation
• Professional career begins (1992)
• COBOL mainframes
• Life insurance systems
• Architecture thinking applied to code
2000s
Web Revolution
• Java enterprise applications
• .NET framework mastery
• Financial systems architecture
2010s
Cloud Era
• AWS cloud architecture
• Microservices design
• DevOps and Agile leadership
2020s
AI Revolution
• AI agents and LLMs
• Blockchain and DeFi
• Edge computing solutions
The Visionary vs The Gatekeepers
"Why do you have such a chip on your shoulder?"
— Director of Network Engineering, 2007
The Context: 2006. Peak War of Developer vs Network Engineer. Whose department can prove they are more valuable. Network Engineers were the original woke profession—not smart enough for development, but given the power to shut down everything I researched because they didn't understand it.
Their Management Philosophy: Manage through fear of the unknown. If it's unknown by you, then fear it and shut it down. Innovation was the enemy because innovation meant change, and change meant they might have to learn something new.
My "Chip on My Shoulder": I had the audacity to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the people who actually build the software should have some say in the technology decisions. Revolutionary concept, apparently.
I wasn't angry. I was frustrated. There's a difference between having a chip on your shoulder and being a visionary surrounded by bureaucrats who mistake their ignorance for wisdom.
Developers:
Build the products that make money. Understand the technology. Want to innovate.
Network Engineers:
Control the infrastructure. Fear change. Manage through gatekeeping.
The Result:
Innovation dies in committee meetings.
My "Ridiculous" Ideas That Got Shot Down in 2006
The "Crazy" Idea
"Give developers more autonomous power to drive technology in the company. It will speed up innovative profit-making ideas by eliminating red tape."
Their Response:
Shot down. Made fun of me for suggesting it.
What Happened 10 Years Later
This "ridiculous" idea became the foundation of an entire industry movement.
They Called It:
DevOps
Billions of dollars in market value. Entire companies built on this concept. The thing they mocked became the industry standard.
The Pattern
This wasn't the first time. It wouldn't be the last. Throughout my career, I've watched the same pattern repeat:
- I see a problem and propose a solution
- Gatekeepers shut it down because they don't understand it
- They mock me for suggesting something "so ridiculous"
- 5-10 years later, the industry adopts exactly what I proposed
- The same people who mocked me act like they invented it
Being a visionary in a world of bureaucrats isn't having a chip on your shoulder. It's having the curse of seeing the future while surrounded by people who are comfortable with the past.
When Leadership Valued Truth Over Politics
"You are the first person in my history that doesn't do what I say because I am the President. I asked for this point blank, and not only did you turn me down, you explained why it is the way it is. Thank you David! Never stop challenging me."
— Suzette, President of Life Insurance Operations
The Context: Insurance industry, early 2000s. A President asks for something that doesn't make technical sense. Most people would just say "yes ma'am" and figure out how to make it work later.
My Response: I said no. Then I explained exactly why it wouldn't work and what the better approach would be. Facts over hierarchy. Truth over politics.
Her Reaction: Instead of being offended, she was grateful. She wanted someone who would challenge her thinking, not just execute her orders blindly.
The Promise: She asked me to never stop challenging her. I kept that promise to this day.
Unfortunately, in the 2020s, you absolutely get fired for challenging your boss's boss's boss. But I don't know any other way to be. Facts are facts and right is right.
The Knowledge Forged in Fire
Retro Computing Mastery
Where extreme constraints bred innovation
Apple IIe, Atari 2600, qBASIC, Assembly. 128 bytes of RAM taught more about optimization than any modern framework ever could.
AI & Machine Learning
From local LLM deployment to custom training
DeepSeek, PyTorch, Transformers, CUDA. Architecture thinking applied to neural networks— designing AI systems like sustainable buildings.
Blockchain & DApps
Decentralized systems with architectural precision
Solidity, Web3.js, DeFi, Smart Contracts. Building decentralized applications with the same principles used to design sustainable spaces.
Enterprise Architecture
40+ years of scalable system design
Microservices, Event-Driven, Domain-Driven, Clean Code. Environmental design principles applied to software—sustainable, maintainable, beautiful code.
Data Architecture
From mainframe COBOL to modern NoSQL
Oracle, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis. Data flows like people through buildings— understanding the patterns is everything.
Technical Leadership
Leading teams through impossible projects
Agile, Mentoring, Code Reviews, Architecture. Street-smart leadership meets architectural precision—building teams like designing spaces.
Unemployable But Unstoppable
The System's Verdict
Age Discrimination: 50+ in tech = "outdated" despite cutting-edge skills
No Degree Filter: HR systems auto-reject despite 40+ years experience
Racial Discrimination: Mexican/African/Sicilian—judged before I even speak
Cultural Mismatch: Street-smart Troost background vs corporate culture
Overqualified Paradox: Too experienced for junior roles, "risky" for senior roles
Disability Discrimination: MS survivor but government rejects disability claims
The Real Value
Battle-Tested Knowledge: Survived every tech revolution since the 1980s
Street-Smart Intelligence: Raised by the streets, learned life the hard way
Architecture Thinking: Design principles that create sustainable, scalable systems
Platform Agnostic: Right technology for each problem, not religious devotion
Clean Code Obsession: Maintainable, self-documenting, efficient code that lasts
Unbreakable Resilience: Overcame MS at 24, rebuilt career from scratch
Authentic Leadership: Real experience, not corporate theater
The Paradox
I was essentially raised by the streets—parents working opposite shifts, alone from after school until bedtime. I taught myself everything. I coded Olympic games at 9, survived MS at 24, and mastered every technology revolution for 40+ years.
I can architect systems that scale to millions of users, debug problems that stump entire teams, and teach concepts that transform careers. I've built AI agents, DeFi protocols, and enterprise systems that process billions in transactions.
But I can't get past the first HR screening because I'm Mexican/African/Sicilian, I'm many shades of brown. don't have a degree, I'm over 50, I have MS, and I don't "talk like them" or "act like them." The same system that helped me in the 1990s now judges me before I even speak.
I'm not unemployable because I lack skills. I'm unemployable because I'm everything they fear: A feral genius who learned everything the hard way and can outcode anyone in the room.
The Code I Live By
The Four Pillars
These aren't corporate buzzwords or motivational poster slogans. These are battle-tested principles forged in the streets and refined through 40+ years of real-world experience.
1. Surround Yourself With People Where You Want To Be
Don't waste time with people who are comfortable with mediocrity. Find the winners, the builders, the people who are already where you're trying to go. Learn from them. Absorb their mindset. Elevate your circle.
2. Always Take Ownership Of Every Issue That Involves You
TAKE OWNERSHIP! If your name is anywhere near a problem, own it completely. Don't deflect. Don't minimize. Don't make excuses. Own it, fix it, learn from it, move forward stronger.
3. Never Pass Blame
Blame is for the weak. Winners take responsibility and solve problems. When something goes wrong, the question isn't "whose fault is it?" The question is "how do we fix it and prevent it from happening again?"
4. Never Read Between The Lines
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. It's not my job to interpret your hidden meanings or decode your nuanced implications. If you can't communicate clearly, that's your failure, not my responsibility to guess what you "really meant."
5. I'd Rather Be Alone For The Right Reasons Than In A Relationship For The Wrong
Loneliness is temporary. Settling for the wrong person is a lifetime sentence. Better to wait for someone who adds to your life than someone who drains it. Quality over quantity, always.
6. Hurt People Hurt People
Understanding this changes everything. When someone lashes out, it's usually about their pain, not you. Doesn't excuse their behavior, but it explains it. Protect yourself, but don't take their damage personally.
7. Be Wary Of Adults With Children's Voices
Not talking about vocal pitch. Talking about emotional maturity. Adults who whine, blame others for everything, throw tantrums when they don't get their way, or refuse to take responsibility. Child-like wonder is beautiful. Child-like accountability is dangerous.
8. Speak At A Fifth-Grade Level So Everyone Can Understand You
The smartest people can explain the most complex ideas in simple terms. Your intelligence is worthless if you can't communicate it. Make smart accessible, not intimidating.
9. The Eye Contact Struggle Is Real
"I can't look people in the eye when I talk—not because I'm lying, but because you don't understand what I want to say, so I'm trying to figure out how to explain myself at your level." This is the burden of operating at a higher intellectual frequency. You're not avoiding eye contact—you're processing how to bridge the gap.
Street Wisdom:
Growing up on Troost taught me that survival depends on clarity, accountability, and surrounding yourself with people who elevate you, not drag you down.
Corporate Application:
These principles work in boardrooms just as well as they work on the streets. Clear communication, personal accountability, and strategic relationships are the foundation of all success.
Leadership Philosophy:
I don't manage through fear or politics. I lead through example, clear expectations, and unwavering accountability—starting with myself.
The Street-Smart Advantage
Corporate America loves to complicate simple concepts with buzzwords and frameworks. But real leadership isn't complicated. It's about being direct, taking responsibility, surrounding yourself with winners, and communicating with crystal clarity.
These mantras aren't theory—they're survival skills that got me from the streets of Troost to the C-suite. They work because they're based on reality, not corporate fantasy.
In a world full of people who hide behind excuses, nuance, and blame-shifting, being direct and accountable makes you unstoppable.
The Amends I Need to Make
The List
Real accountability means facing the people you've hurt. These are the names that keep me up at night—not because I'm weak, but because I'm finally strong enough to admit when I was wrong.
People I've Wronged and Want to Make Amends To:
Street Code vs. Soul Code:
The streets taught me to never show weakness. But the soul knows that real strength comes from admitting when you're wrong and trying to make it right.
The Genius Burden:
Being smarter than most people around you can make you arrogant, impatient, dismissive. Intelligence without humility is just sophisticated cruelty.
The Bipolar Factor:
Mental illness doesn't excuse bad behavior, but it explains some of it. The manic episodes, the depression crashes—I hurt people when I was hurting.
The Hardest Truth
Some of these names represent decades-old wounds but I carry it with me. Not as self-punishment, but as motivation to be better. I don't expect forgiveness. I don't expect you to reach out. I don't expect anything except to say: I was wrong. I'm sorry. You deserved better.
Coming Back to the World
Am I Too Feral Now?
After 10 years holed up with MS, emerging back into society feels like waking up in a different world. The question haunts me: Have I become too feral, or has everyone else become too soft?
The Barista Incident • 2024
The Scene: Coffee shop. Barista gets the order wrong. Customer waits 30 minutes for correction.
The "Crime": Frustrated customer tells barista to "shut up and listen" when she gets defensive.
The Response: She calls the police. Actual police. To eject a customer for being rude about HER mistake.
I watched this happen and thought: "This is what we call the police for now?"
2024 - Police Called For:
Customer being rude about wrong coffee order
2001 - Police NOT Called For:
Actual physical assault by racists on 9/11
The Question:
Who's lost perspective here?
September 11th, 2001 • Country Club Plaza
"Hey f***er, are you going to crash a plane into another building?"
— Two drunk white guys in khakis, screeching tires, jumping out of their oversized black truck to attack the "terrorist"
The Setting: September 11th, 2001. The actual day. I'm crossing the street at Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.
The Attack: Two drunk racists in an oversized black truck see my brown skin and decide I'm the enemy. Screeching tires. They jump out, still in their khakis, ready to kill the "terrorist."
The Outcome: I survived. I was not seriously injured. I handled it myself.
What I DIDN'T Do: Call the police. File a report. Demand justice. Cry victim.
I was taught not to abuse the police to get my way. Apparently, that lesson didn't make it to 2024.
The Philosophy Gap
Old School (My Way): Handle your own problems. Police are for actual crimes. Being rude isn't illegal. Getting your feelings hurt isn't an emergency.
New School (2024 Way): Call authorities for every interpersonal conflict. Weaponize police for hurt feelings. Turn customer service disputes into criminal matters.
The Question: After 10 years of isolation with MS, am I too feral for this new world? Or has this new world become too soft for reality?
"I literally got physically attacked by racists on 9/11 and didn't call police. She called police because a customer told her to shut up about her own mistake."
— The gap between real problems and manufactured drama
Maybe I'm not too feral. Maybe everyone else has forgotten what real problems look like.
The Street Code vs. The New Code
Street Code (What I Learned):
- • Handle your own problems
- • Police are for actual crimes
- • Being offended isn't being victimized
- • Toughen up or get eaten alive
- • Actions have consequences, deal with them
New Code (What I'm Seeing):
- • Call authorities for hurt feelings
- • Police are customer service for emotions
- • Being uncomfortable is traumatic
- • Someone else should fix everything
- • Consequences are someone else's fault
I'm not feral. I'm authentic. There's a difference between being uncivilized and refusing to participate in manufactured fragility.
The Proof Is In The Code
Don't take my word for it. See the resume. Review the projects. Judge the knowledge. The evidence speaks louder than any degree ever could.