Breaking Into Tech: From Developer to Director

Asher Best • March 21, 2025

If you had told my eight-year-old self that I’d one day be leading tech teams and shaping software strategies, I probably would have shrugged and gone back to taking apart an old computer just for fun. Even in my twenties, I did not think a career in tech was possible given my lack of formal education. Yet, here I am in my thirties working in my dream field. Here is a brief overview of my career journey that led me to where I am today.

My interaction with technology started from a very early age. Before I reached age ten, I was taking apart old, unused computers and re-assembling the components. Browsing the web, creating flash videos, and gaming were also among the hobbies I had as a youngster. The only “coding” exposure I had was a bit of HTML and CSS. Despite my proclivity towards technology, my early career could not have been any more unrelated.

My early job roles consisted of retail and hospitality management. Following that, my friends had a gig open up at an energy efficiency consultancy called US-EcoLogic. The role consisted of rating the energy efficiency of single- and multi-family properties. I started as a field technician in Texas and then stepped into a field management role in Colorado. I returned to Texas to transition into a project management role after working in Colorado for close to two years. Eager to streamline our workflow, I pitched the idea of improving the mobile application we used for field data collection. With no formal software development background, I immersed myself in self-learning—reading documentation, taking online courses, and experimenting.

My journey in tech had just begun. I started out as a Business Analyst which primarily consisted of improving the data collection process for the field and integrating that data with our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform for greater visibility in the office. I then transitioned into a role as a Web Developer building full stack web applications and websites. Following that, I moved into a role as an Application Developer at Tempo where I built my first mobile application from scratch and worked primarily to improve our Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms and cloud infrastructure. Fast forward to current day, my role is Director of DevOps where I am responsible for bridging the gap between software development and business operations while mentoring the next generation of tech leaders.

From tinkering with computers as a kid to leading DevOps today, my journey is far from over. My next goal is to step into a VP of Engineering role, then ultimately become a Chief Technology Officer—continuing to learn, innovate, and guide the next wave of tech professionals. I am looking forward to learning as much as possible in this exciting, ever-evolving field while passing that knowledge onto others and helping organizations grow their technology posture.