Change is inevitable, and often outside of our control. However, we are also agents of change in our own lives and the world around us, particularly in the decisions we make about personal and professional development, which opportunities we choose to take, and how our values shape who we become. This is especially pertinent in times of such grave uncertainty, such as the moment we are in now. We are not the same person we were a decade ago, and we will be different yet again in another decade. As we know from our beloved ancestor, Octavia Butler, the only constant we know is change: we are changed by all that we touch and we change all that we touch.

In this workshop, we will explore career change and evolution, particularly through the lens of someone with a 40-year professional career across industry, government service, and Academia. We will discuss how that experience might, or might not, apply to decisions others in the Code2040 community make over the course of their personal and professional lives. Some of this is about the goals we set for ourselves, but a lot of it is how we approach the journey.

Register here for this free, virtual workshop.

This workshop will be led by longtime volunteer, Bruce Wilson.

Bio: Dr. Bruce E. Wilson is a chemist and mathematician by original training, with a largely self-taught background in software development and systems engineering. He started his professional career at a division of Eastman Kodak, doing data science to improve industrial processes manufacturing different types of plastics. That evolved into building information systems to support other chemists, including managing an international information technology team for the Dow Chemical Company. He came to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in 2006 and shifted to building information systems to support climate scientists and ecologists. In 2010, he moved into ORNL’s enterprise Information Technology organization, becoming one of two Enterprise Architects. In 2018, he returned to the world of Earth science data and information management, leading one of NASA’s 12 Distributed Active Archive Centers. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of Tennessee, involved with both the School of Information Sciences and the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.

Bruce and his wife have been married for 40 years. They have two grown children and live near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. His hobbies include music (particularly singing sacred music), hiking, and gardening.