About Me

Overview

My name is Terence Honles and I want to change the world.

I earned a B.S. in computer science from the University of California: Los Angles in 2010, and I have already worked for a number of large and/or prominent companies including Microsoft and Amazon. I have a strong set of ideals and I care very much about what I do. Along with having a strong desire to do the best I can, I strive to continue learning at any chance I get. Although, this is most obvious in tech related areas it is most definitely not exclusive to it.

With my experience and personality I am looking to find a group of people who share my passion. This group of people could be a successful company or a startup who strives for innovation and delights themselves in quality. My goal is to change the way people live their lives; I want to do something which will affect people whether they realize it or not.

Education

My three siblings and I were homeschooled until I was in 7th grade. As a result of having a busy teacher (mom), I learned to become self-motivated and rather self-taught. This worked well because I was already very inquisitive and mechanically inclined. I was allowed to push ahead in the areas of math and sciences, and I was supported by my dad who is a structural engineer and is very good at what he does.

Starting in 7th grade I began a transition from private schools to a public school. With each transition I was given a larger group of people to compete with, and I feel the increased competition pushed me to do even better than I had done previously. I was allowed greater opportunities with each move and I learned to adapt and take advantage of them as best I could.

In high school I played around with Adobe Flash (then Macromedia) and TI-BASIC, but it was really my job at Rockwell Scientific which gave me the final push in the direction of computer science. With this initial experience I came in hot at UCLA. I was finally given formal training, and I was surprised at all the connections I started drawing. I enjoyed difficult problems and was able to help my friends and classmates out. This mentoring helped solidify my knowledge of the subjects, but it also helped foster a team spirit because I not only wanted to succeed but I wanted them to succeed also.

As a result of my intense desire to learn more about computer science I put off many of my general electives until last. This happened to work well for me because I was able to use some of the time to be able to study abroad. I studied at the University of Monash: Clayton, and I was able to meet not only many Australians but also many people from other countries who were also studying abroad. With this fusion of people I was able to take primarily classes which were going to count as general electives, and as a result I was able to experience a whole new side of university.

Looking back at my past education I would say it has definitely been exciting for me: full of twists and turns and its share of ups and downs. After the completion of my B.S. I have been left pivoting between returning for a higher degree or teaching myself the many things which interest me. At the moment I have been taking the time to learn and explore, but if and when I figure out a more refined area I would like to specialize in I may end up with my Ph.D.

Family and Background

I am the eldest out of four children, and I have strong desire and interest in helping my siblings succeed. I believe I am both a mentor and a role model to them and I strive to my best in fulfilling that role. I have been given many responsibilities growing up as the eldest child, and through my experiences I learned to become very independent.

My family definitely has an artistic flair. My mother is an artist, my father is a musician, my sister Erica is completing her first degree in art, my brother Joel has had a hobby of crafting custom skateboards amongst other things, my sister Janelle likes to follow in her sister's footsteps, but comes at it with her own style including an interest in fashion and design. To say the very least my family has a lot in common, but we each contribute with our own style and attitude. This has helped emphasize the fact that each member of a team is what makes the team so special.