Alex Shank's Story
Alex Shank is a Chicago-based Software Engineer building tools that make people more impactful.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, I grew up playing baseball, boating on Lake Erie, and trying to ride my bike backwards. My dad showed me how to build and fix practical things in our garage, and my high school classes introduced me to formal sciences and rigor. I enjoyed math, physics, and creating things more than most people seemed to, so I enrolled at Ohio State as an engineering student.
At Ohio State, I split my time between Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. I took classes in circuit theory, power electronics, ASIC design, CAD, and project management, among others. I joined student project teams building sensor systems for endurance racing vehicles. I also interned at Lincoln Electric, where I built safety features for robotic welding arms.
I quickly found myself designing and writing more and more software. This started on student project teams, where I naturally gravitated towards tasks like implementing PID controllers for robotics competitions. More serious projects then landed on my radar as I entered the working world. I interned at RoviSys and created drone software that could identify oil and gas structures. My next internship was with CapTech, where I built a mobile application for enforcing COVID-era safety protocols at amusement parks. (I would go on to take a full-time position with CapTech after graduating from Ohio State.) This software work was energizing for me, so I narrowed my focus to Computer Engineering.
I graduated from Ohio State in the fall of 2020 but felt there was more left for me in school. With mentorship from Professor Lee Potter at Ohio State, I explored my options for graduate school. I enrolled in Purdue University's part-time master's program, which allowed me to continue working while furthering my education.
While at Purdue, I continued to study advanced concepts in Computer Engineering. My courses had me build compilers and NLP neural networks, implement advanced graph algorithms, and more. Discrete math, statistics, and system design were particularly challenging, but I still find myself reading research papers and blog posts on these topics in my free time. These concepts shaped how I approach technical problem solving to this day. Data-driven systems with simple, extensible designs are a particular passion of mine.
Since finishing graduate school, I have continued working at CapTech as a Software Engineer. The majority of my client engagements have been with financial services companies, such as Goldman Sachs, Mission Lane, LPL Financial, and Capital One. I specialize in backend systems and application development, working heavily with Java, Kotlin, Python, and Golang. I have designed and released dozens of production systems, including APIs, data pipelines, web applications, and event-driven architectures. These have involved relational and NoSQL databases, cloud services (primarily AWS), and containerization.
I'm interested in roles where I can work with talented people, solve interesting problems, and learn the business. Building, maintaining, and adapting a product throughout its life cycle is particularly exciting to me. I'm always open to discussing ideas, job opportunities, collaborations, technology, the perfect cup of coffee, or Ohio State football. Please reach out to me on LinkedIn!