From Atari to AI: Darin’s Tech Journey
From Atari to AI: Darin’s tech journey
Meet Darin, a senior software engineer based in Austin, Texas, who brings decades of passion, curiosity, and technical expertise to WellSky. With roots tracing back to the early days of computing, Darin’s unique perspective continues to shape the way he approaches software development and life.
Darin’s fascination with technology began well before the modern internet era. In his youth, he taught himself Atari Basic and ran a 24/7 bulletin board system (BBS), all at a blazing 2400 baud. His love of operating systems started with SpartaDOS and evolved into a deep appreciation for Linux.
Over the years, Darin transitioned into front-end development, drawn by the reach and flexibility of JavaScript in the browser. The experience he gained in the beginning laid the foundation for the thoughtful approach he brings to his projects.
Thinking ahead: Tech and investing
Darin isn’t just looking back – he's interested in seeing what is shaping the future. Recently, he’s been exploring investments in AI-focused stocks. “I feel like this is a fascinating time where AI is just beginning, and average people can still invest before it gets too high,” he said.
Outside the code: Hobbies and highlights
When he’s not coding, Darin enjoys his personal life. He’s passionate about fitness, reading the Bible, is a dedicated audiophile (he has multiple HiFi stereos!), and a proud cat owner.
A perfect weekend? Coffee shop coding, HiFi music sessions, Sunday church, and time spent on personal projects.
One of his proudest personal achievements is a full-stack real estate platform he built entirely from scratch, including Amazon Echo integration for new listings. “It was so much work,” Darin said as he joked that he still gets nauseous whenever he thinks back on the scope and complexity of the build.
Evolving roles at WellSky
Since joining WellSky, Darin’s role has grown far beyond front-end development. He’s now engaged in:
- UX design, identifying usability issues
- Test automation with Playwright, a tool he finds exciting and more modern than traditional Selenium setups
- Platform Engineering, where he taps into his Linux roots to support Terraform workflows
His favorite WellSky project so far? Writing a dynamic vertical table layout using only CSS Grid, no frameworks or libraries, with real-time backend data. It’s just one example of his efficient approach to engineering.
Growth, challenges and gratitude
Darin is open about the learning curves, especially with .NET’s toolchain and Terraform. But he thrives on the challenge and credits WellSky for supporting his development with resources like the internal Stack Overflow and Google Cloud Skills Boost.
He genuinely enjoys what he does and isn’t shy about expressing how happy he is to be part of the WellSky team. “This is the best corporation I’ve ever worked at,” he said. “We coordinate well, and the end result is that we deliver quality products on time. It allows me to sleep better at night.”
Darin appreciates the supportive environment, exceptional leadership, and especially the Austin office, which he fondly calls “like a castle.” For him, great management leads to great software.
Darin’s journey is a testament to curiosity, resilience, and craftsmanship and we’re lucky to have him on the team.
