User:Cyqotiq

I was born in The Heart of Dixie, Huntsville, Alabama in the southeastern United States. I moved around frequently with my mom in my younger years, visiting or living in places such as Rhode Island, New Orleans, Panama City, and Los Angeles. I found an interest in computers when I was first exposed to them at school when I was 9 years old. At the age of 11, I found an interest in music. Coming from a long line of Southern Baptists, I first attended church in a small, rural church with a maximum capacity of around 150 people. I expanded my interests in science and art until I finally focused my studies in computer science. I continued to study computer science, music, art, psychology, and Christianity until my 20s. Being a naturally argumentative person, I grew tired of arguing with those people who claimed that God wasn't real or that Christianity was a false religion, so I set out to find definitive proof to back up my arguments. What I found was a complete lack of reliable evidence supporting the majority of the Bible. After several years of study, I came to the obvious conclusion that Christianity, like many other religions, was a mixture of ancient myths, political influence, and a desperate attempt by the few to control the many.

Today, I still find interest in the arts, sciences, history, and language. Most of my self-directed studies tend to follow computer science, psychology, sociology, and religion. I am a frequent attendant to a weekly trivia game at a local restaurant, where my team usually places in the top 5. Though I still dabble, from time to time, in the arts, I seem to gravitate more toward learning more about my chosen career path (Software Development and Computer Security) and trying to find ways to help people to find truth in life.

About Me
I live in Huntsville, Alabama in Southeastern United States. Huntsville being a major computer, defense, and aerospace technology hub for the Department of Defense and NASA, my line of work was limited, barring the option to relocate to another city. I focused my education in computer science and have been working as a computer programmer since the mid 2000s.

In my spare time, I frequently find academic interests in various areas of study, such as physics, history, religion, psychology, and art. Most of my non-expertise studies have focused on religion and psychology.

As a child, I often wanted to study and enter a career in psychology, but was convinced that it would be a poor choice for a career by my father. To this day, I still dabble in learning about psychology and sociology as time permits.

Having grown up in a Southern Baptist church, I consider myself to be relatively well-versed in Biblical texts. I took the verse "Study to show yourself approved" (2 TIM 2:15, NIV) to heart, and began studying everything I could about the Bible, including its accuracy. Having an intense interest in the sciences, I quickly learned about scientific study and the Scientific Method. Applying the Scientific Method to my studies, it wasn't long before I began to find gaping holes in the accuracy and reliability of the Holy Bible as a source of truth.

My interest in art was, perhaps, my strongest during my pre-teen years. As I grew older and found interests in other fields, my practice of the arts began to fade. Occasionally, I will rediscover my love for art and use my computer to assist me. I have spent countless hours working with 3D modelling programs, photo editing software, and musical composition software. Today, my most common use of my artistic skills is to design tattoos for myself as well as for others.

Computer Science
I have been studying computers and computer programming since the mid 1980s. In the 1990s, my family owned its first computer, and my interests and studies multiplied dramatically. By the time I graduated high school, I was already writing programs comparable to those of professional programmers. To a lesser extent, I also found interest in computer hardware. Since the late 1990s and until sometime around 2005, I built every computer I owned. With my first laptop in 2005 came the end of my custom-built desktops.

Psychology
After a brief interest in archaeology (thanks to the Indiana Jones movies), I picked up a keen interest in psychology. Unknown to me at the time, much of my interest in this field was due to my intense desire to understand why my family had so many bizarre quirks. Even though my father discouraged me from pursuing a career in psychology or sociology, I still continue to learn about it at a rudimentary level to this day.

Religion
Ever since I was a teen growing up in a small, rural town outside of Huntsville, I have been interested in religion (not just Christianity). My interest had little to do with concerns over what would happen to me after death and more to do with finding a harmonious way to live my life. In retrospect (and after much therapy) I have learned that this interest was the result of my desire to resolve an internal conflict caused by what I jovially refer to as my socio-psychotic issues. In reality, while I do exhibit some behavioral (ADHD) and asocial disorders (not to be confused with anti-social personality disorder), I am (relatively) as normal as most anyone else. My screen name is one I chose to remind myself that I, like everyone else I encounter in life, am not perfect and that there will always be room for improvement.

The Arts
I have been drawing for almost as long as I can remember. In my 20s, I picked up an interest in painting with acrylics. While my technique and skill leave much to be desired, my interest and love of the arts, in general, has always been ever-present. In my late 20s, I joined a community theatre, with which I performed in a few stage productions and assisted with several other productions back-stage.