Conner Brinkley
I’m still trying to figure out what I’m passionate about, but I do know that I love learning and never want to stop being a beginner at something. My three main areas of interest are programming, marketing, and design, and I hope to be able to look back on my career someday and know that I helped people by using all three. Outside of work, you can find me hiking, road tripping, listening to Tom Petty, dancing embarrassingly at concerts, or buying candles. I also drink way too much Mountain Dew.
Education
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
To me, school has always been a means to an end. And because of that, it has always been my top priority but never my only one. I like to think that if I don't spend all of my time on homework, I have more time to learn other jobs and skills. Generally, I tend to value skills and learning over GPA.
I mentored freshmen in computer science through the Engineering Mentor Program on campus, I was on the Board of Organizers for HackUTK (security club) and VolHacks (UT's annual hackathon), I competed in the Department of Energy's 2019 CyberForce Competition at Oak Ridge National Lab, and I also consistently stay up way past my bedtime.
Tennessee Governor's School
As a rising senior in high school, I was selected from top applicants across the state to attend this program at Tennessee Tech University. It was the first time in my life where I wasn't the smartest kid in the classroom. I was quickly humbled. Thankfully, I learned that lesson before I got to college.
I learned basic programming/engineering concepts, and I worked on a research project involving cryogenics. Easily a much better use of my time than playing video games all summer.
Experience
Amazon Web Services
- Designed, implemented, and shipped an internal dashboard to promote a new feature in 6 weeks
- Touched the full stack using Java to modify backend / write new APIs and ReactJS to build client side
- Tested hundreds of lines of Java code using Mockito for unit tests and Cucumber for integration tests
- Took ownership and pushed my project all the way to production alongside a team of 14 top notch engineers
- Utilized feedback to increase total number of code reviews sent in the first 7 weeks by over 6x before week 12
Knoxville Entrepreneur Center
KEC is a unique incubator / marketing agency hybrid. I got to learn about the business world firsthand and work on my interpersonal skills by meeting tons of entrepreneurs in Knoxville. My boss tried to talk me out of working here by telling me it's probably the least technical position for a computer science major to be in. I'm glad I didn't listen.
- Created a job board for the local startup community, encouraging involvement with small businesses
- Integrated an online scheduling system for entrepreneur/mentor meetings, also helping track progress
- Built the branding for 7 unique startups, from market research to buyer personas to messaging platforms
- Volunteered at The Maker City to host the 2018 annual international maker conference in Knoxville
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
I had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest kids from all over the globe at one of the best schools in San Diego. It was sad leaving, but having a parent come up to me and tell me how much of a difference I made for her kiddo made my summer. Here's to being out of my element and feeling like a kid again.
- Oversaw the education and safety of gifted 2nd–7th graders
- Organized and led a variety of daily activities for the 3-week camp
- Collaborated with other PAs on daily activities and events for students
Harbortowne Marine
It was here that I learned valuable life lessons I will carry with me forever, especially putting quality of life over everything else. I also worked in a floating office on the water. Best first job ever.
- Creatively marketed yachts across a large network of boating websites
- Produced lots of content with photo shoots almost on the daily
- Installed digital signage at a local marina to increase brand awareness
- Worked closely with website developer and marketing manager
Skills
- C++
- HTML
- CSS
- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- Bootstrap
- ARKit
- Vim
- Xcode
- Brackets