Network engineer learning to route packets of thought.

Ed Donner AI Engineering Curriculum

AI Engineer - Core Track

8-week hands-on course building LLM applications from scratch. Local models with Ollama, frontier APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google), retrieval-augmented generation with vector databases, QLoRA fine-tuning, agentic AI patterns, LangChain and HuggingFace tooling, and shipping end-to-end AI applications in Python.

AI Engineer - Agentic Track

Autonomous AI agents with LangGraph and CrewAI. Function calling and tool integration, multi-agent orchestration and delegation, agent planning with reasoning loops, human-in-the-loop workflows, and building agents that can independently research, code, and execute complex tasks.

AI Engineer - Production Track

Taking AI systems from prototype to production. Containerized deployment with Docker, cloud infrastructure, API design for LLM-powered services, monitoring and observability, CI/CD pipelines for ML, evaluation frameworks, and production-grade reliability patterns.

AI Coder - Vibe Coder to Agentic Engineer

AI-assisted software development with Cursor, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot. Prompt engineering for code generation, systematic debugging with AI, moving from ad-hoc "vibe coding" to disciplined agentic engineering, and integrating AI coding tools into professional development workflows.

AI Builder - Agents, Voice Agents & Automations in n8n

Low-code AI workflow automation with n8n. Visual construction of AI agents, voice agent integration, connecting LLMs to business tools via webhooks and APIs, and building end-to-end automations without writing code.

AI Leader - GenAI & Agentic AI for Leaders and Founders

AI strategy for organizations. Building AI roadmaps, evaluating build-vs-buy decisions, leading AI engineering teams, understanding model capabilities and limitations, governance and risk management, and responsible AI deployment.

Proficient AI Engineer

Network Coordinator — July 2024 - Present

Leading day-to-day Network Engineering for the district and managing projects related to Network Infrastructure and Design.

Facilities Systems Technology Coordinator — October 2019 - July 2024

Bridge between the Facilities and Information Technology departments. Managed facilities systems projects (video surveillance, intercom, etc.) and integrated those systems into existing infrastructure. Managed the network team, seasonal employees, and vendor coordination.

Network Coordinator — March 2017 - October 2019

Managed projects including access point and switch deployments, rewiring projects, and equipment refreshes. Day-to-day monitoring, troubleshooting, and configuration of network equipment. Managed the network team and coordinated with vendors.

Network Hardware Maintenance Technician — January 2015 - February 2017

Monitored, managed, and maintained 500+ Cisco layer 2 switches, 2100 Cisco wireless access points, and APC UPS units throughout the Evergreen School District. Worked with contractors on wire paths and prepared the network for the district's 1:1 device deployment.

Hardware Maintenance Technician — April 2014 - December 2014

OCHIN, Inc. — Programmer/Developer — December 2013 - March 2014 — Portland, OR

WSU Vancouver — Lab Technician / Help Desk — August 2012 - December 2013

Answered software and hardware questions, handled network and wireless connectivity issues, supported WSU Network ID, email accounts, and SharePoint.

What really lights me up is solving the problems that everyone else has given up on. I've lost count of how many times a lingering issue gets handed off because "it's probably the network." I'll ask for access, dig in, and usually prove it's something else, then I fix it end-to-end. Whether it's a fax server that broke during a VMware-to-Hyper-V migration or some obscure integration no one could crack, I take full ownership and stay heads-down until it's done. There's nothing better than handing back a working system and seeing the relief on my coworkers' faces.

Coworkers have told me I'm unusually good at troubleshooting — even beyond networking. One of our newer network coordinators, who's sharp on the networking side but newer to the rest of IT, watched me work and said, "You're the best engineer I've ever worked with." That meant a lot.

Outside of work I'm a proud dad of two wonderful daughters. In the summer we're usually camping somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. I'm a die-hard Seattle Mariners fan, and I've got a pretty massive movie collection — mostly 80s, 90s, and early 2000s stuff. Big Trouble in Little China, Total Recall, and Office Space are still in heavy rotation.

Right now I'm making a purposeful shift into AI engineering. I've completed Ed Donner's full AI curriculum and it's the most fun I've had in IT in a long time. I see AI as a new emerging field in technology that I'm genuinely excited about and want to pursue. The opportunities that excite me most are using AI to automate repetitive tasks and processes inside organizations — whether that's building AI tools or leveraging AI to streamline workflows. I still bring all my networking, systems, and troubleshooting experience with me, but I'm ready to apply it in this new space.