Raise your hand if your first venture into programming was building a farming simulator complete with livestock, crops, market prices, microloans, interest rates, and even weather at age 12. Anyone's hand go up? We know for sure that Matt Ruwe's (Senior Software Engineer and Strategist at Kiewit) did! He may have started back in middle school on an old IBM machine, but he didn't stop there.

Matt's clear passion for coding has colored his career and really carried him up the ladder from junior engineer to consultant to senior strategist at Kiewit. On this episode of Next Level, Zach dives into Matt's story, opinions, and values. Come along with us as we learn how from his experiences and insight.

Key takeaways for quick consumption:
1. Always stay current with evolving technologies and never stop learning.
2. Build relationships through user groups, meetups, and conferences to open up new opportunities.
3. Be open to change and willing to pivot your career path when necessary.

And for more thoughtprovoking technical insights, be sure to follow Keyhole Software:
LinkedIn:   / keyholesoftware  
Twitter: @KeyholeSoftware
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QEmNYV...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Find even more Keyhole content on our website (https://keyholesoftware.com/podcasts).

About Matt:
Matt Ruwe is a passionate software architect, developer, mentor, and community leader with over 25 years of professional experience. He excels in leading highperforming software development teams to address complex business challenges and is dedicated to actively contributing to and guiding technology communities. His primary career goal is to create enduring, transformative software systems for organizations.

Matt's passion for fostering technical communities has been a driving force in my career. Since 2008, he has been the principal leader of the Omaha .NET User’s Group, and under his guidance, the group has grown to include over 1,200 software developers. The Omaha .NET User’s Group is renowned for its longstanding presence and unwavering commitment to the Omaha development community.

Find Matt on LinkedIn:   / mattruwe