Hi, I’m Trystian.

I’m a web developer, graphic designer, database administrator, software developer, security consultant, and entrepreneur. I tend to wear many hats in order to accomplish my goals, which vary greatly, depending on the project(s) on which I am working.

Here’s a bit of history…

I joined the Air Force after college as a meteorologist, performing mostly weather support and reconnaissance at interesting overseas locations (that you would probably never want to visit). After a skydiving injury, I was assigned to a cushy position at Cape Canaveral where I performed direct weather support for NASA, which included space shuttle, titan, and atlas rocket launches.

After six years, I separated from the military and moved to the Seattle area. Once I settled in, I started DJing at local clubs and bars. With a proclivity toward working with computers, I decided to get a job at a tiny company called Microsoft. I started off as a software test engineer, and eventually moved up to software developer. Five years later, after accruing a good deal of testing/developing experience, I left Microsoft and went to work as a consultant for a few “Dot Coms”. Out in the ‘real world’, I realized that the money was much better, the hours were reasonable, and people actually showed respect for a job well done….well, most of the time.

Unfortunately, the “Dot Com” bubble burst after a few short years, at which point the entire high-tech job market took a nose dive. The company I was working for at the time was laying off people in waves. I finally saw the writing on the wall after I was forced to lay off my entire I.T. department. Job security meant very little in such a volatile environment. A few weeks later, the CEO let go all the executives and higher-management. I.e., myself! Thankfully, I received a “tin parachute” package which I used as seed money to start my own company.

For a while, I was consulting and building websites and applications for my clients. I’ve recently shifted my time away from doing work for others, and started building websites for myself. The majority of the sites I build now revolve around affiliate programs, which sells and/or advertises products or services for other companies. It’s a bit of work to set up, but once it’s up and running, I earn money in my sleep, with very little upkeep. Some people may call this being lazy, but I like to think of it as working smarter, not harder. ;-)

In addition to my Internet activities, I occasionally do voice over work, including promos, radio imaging & station id, announcements, commercials, podcasts, and character voices. I’ve been a DJ on and off over the past 20 years. Playing clubs in Seattle, Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; Melbourne/Cocoa Beach, Florida; Champaign/Chicago, Illinois; and Frankfurt, Germany. The Genres ranged from Hip-Hop to Techno to Rock to Country, but never at the same time.

I’m currently living in the beautiful Northern Idaho panhandle, in a place that most people elsewhere can’t pronounce. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The air is clean, the people are nice, the cost of living is cheap, and the crime rate is lower than most other places. It’s a great place to live.

So now you know a little more about me. Those were the highlights. I decided to leave out the parts of me sleeping in cardboard boxes and selling blood in exchange for food and internet access. Nobody wants to hear that.

Yours Truly,
-Trystian Sky