Benj Hingston

Background

About Benj Hingston

I have always loved stars and numbers. That passion led me down an education path filled with critical thinking and problem-solving. But before going to university I worked at Ranger Lake Bible Camp washing dishes (LIT - a leader in training), cabin leader, then a Work Crew Boss director over a span of 7 years including roles in between (wrangler, helping in the kitchen, maintenance crew). I had a passion to invest and learn from those around me which has given me some perspective on life. My dream job would be taking people out for coffee and just chatting about anything and everything. A youth pastor seemed like a good fit. I didn't do so great in the program though I was staying up late talking with people and helping others in Calculus. I decided to take a break. After coffee chats, the next in line dream job was a sessional lecturer driving in my 70s 911 in my tweed jacket. Taking baby steps I started working back in my hometown as an educational assistant with the intent of becoming a teacher. After 2 years I felt ready to go back to university. I started as a Math major with the intent of eventually going into the College of Education. I was persuaded by family and friends to consider another career and my Comp Sci marks weren't bad and the job market looks promising. I took the liberty to fill my first-year level electives with astronomy and physics classes (2nd-year courses and 1 basically physics grad course); my wife thought I should have stuck with true 101 classes in say music. General Relativity will be one of my favourite classes and would love to audit the other astronomy and physics courses. Before graduating I landed a job at Vendasta. This has been a great place to grow and continue to grow. I get to pour time and effort into my teammates' lives and help our customers out by solving problems. I may have mellowed out a bit since my crazy camp days but I feel that I still carry most of what I learned from those experiences. I may not be the most passionate about technology, architecture, frameworks, or paradigms (I can be don't get me wrong but I'd say my first passion is people, starting with my family) but I do love using the tools and expertise I've learned in computer science to help those around me be better and help others.