Joe Porter

I was born in 1980 and directly from the womb I knew was destined for great things. Okay, actually no. I don’t even know what I’m talking about. I’m only 29 years old. I’m sure there are some people out there that would ask, “What do you know about anything?” Well, that’s what I want to share with you here. Who is Joe Porter? and Where did this guy come from?

Little Joe Porter

I am the youngest of 3. I will leave family situation at that. Maybe, another post for another day :^D. At a very young age I became infatuated with technology. I remember dismantling my boom box and wiring up different speakers just for kicks.

Once, I had blown a fuse in my stereo receiver and learned really fast at a young age the importance of safety by forgetting to unplug the component before touching the fuse. The feeling of a million piercing needles penetrating my arm was quite the sensation I dare to repeat. Do not try it at home or just unplug the unit before making an attempt.

Our first computer was one that came out of a house fire. From time to time in fire restoration a homeowner will claim a certain items of contents on their homeowners policy. Once the insurance company pays for replacement of that item, it becomes the property of the insurance company which in turn, they will sell to the highest bidder. This computer was not used much by the rest of my family. I, however, sat there countless hours hacking it, screwing it up and having a blast. I thought I was the coolest when I programmed it to say “Hello Joe” during the boot up process.

Medium Joe Porter

Living 23 miles from my grade school made it very difficult to hang out with grade school friends. Living in farmland Crown Point and going to school in Lansing, IL was quite the disadvantage I guess socially. Thus giving me ample time to fiddle around with anything technological at my home. Anyway, I graduated from Lansing Christian School and moved on to Illiana Christian High School. I took every computer class they had to offer. Page Maker and Typing were just a couple. It was here I programmed my first computer game. A simple DOS game of Blackjack. Instead of picking up regular study material from school, I picked up a C++ book to help with programming skills. I learned a lot, had fun and little did I know it prepared the way for my future. A future that I still think looks cloudy and unclear but whose isn’t? Right?

After 4 years of computer & business classes (those are the ones I cared about), volleyball, and dating my future wife I was moving on to my short stay at Trinity International University. My goal in attending was to graduate with a business and marketing degree. All I wanted to do was work in a high rise downtown Chicago working for a advertising firm. That didn’t quite pan out. I was attending on a volleyball scholarship and loved the business courses and did well might I add :^D. It was my summer home after my first year that changed the course.

Big Joe Porter

My dad owned a company that was doing pretty well. Working there every summer break, Christmas break, spring break and every needed weekend was the norm. So working there during my summer break of college was no different. I let the the feeling of making descent money and security get the best of me. I dropped out of college after one year and pursued a life in the family business. I don’t regret working in the family business. I regret dropping out of college |:^( But if I were to go back, I would definitely add another major to tackle (web design).

In 2000, working in the family business is where I started my passion for web design. The company needed a new website. What better fit than to give it to the young guy to figure it out. Bam! I feel in love. Granted I made a ton of mistakes. I look back and think, “Man, you were a dumb ass, Joe” (insert joke from the readers here). But plenty of books, trial and error and searching helped sharpen the skills into something fruitful.

Family Life

When I dropped out of college and returned home, my high school sweetheart also did the same thing. We reconnected through mutual friends and restarted our relationship that had ended two years prior. On November 2, 2002 we tied the proverbial knot and have been happily married ever since. In 2004 we had our first daughter and two years later our first son.

Parenting and marriage is hard work. Whew! But in the end when I sit at home late a night (just like I am right now) with my wife and the kids in bed, I reflect on the day, the week, the month and I smile in enjoyment and satisfaction and I wouldn’t change any of it.

Conclusion

I did not go into great detail, obviously, into my life. Hence, the title, “Intro: Joe Porter 101.” I did this on purpose. Look, I’m already at 843 words. The goal is to share more of the important things I have learned and experienced in future posts.

So to sum up myself in one sentence: I’m a tech savvy, self taught web designer, business owner, husband to a wonderful wife and a father to two wonderful children.

This is the beginning of joeporter.me.

Stay tuned…