Engineers are the individuals who sit in the magical area between an exciting idea and a promising product in any organization. JupiterOne is lucky enough to have found some of the world’s best engineers to bridge the gap from ideation to execution. They are smart, kind, and have the best stories.

Kenan Warren, a Principal Software Engineer, joined JupiterOne nine months ago. An avid traveler with a knack for humor, Kenan was kind enough to sit down and share his story with us.

Kenan’s engineering origin story

Born and raised in rural North Carolina, Kenan’s interactions with technology were limited – mostly by slow dialup. His awareness of software development mainly came from a cousin who was a programmer.

Like many others, Kenan found himself unsure of how to advance his career after graduating high school. After trying out several paths, his father promised him a Greyhound ticket to anywhere he wanted. Although his first ticket was to D.C., Kenan lived in a few different cities. He hitchhiked around, went to Montana to work on a ranch, and most importantly, passed his travel time by reading secondhand software books. (Remember kids, don’t try this at home!)

After some much-needed soul searching and time to get out of his comfort zone, he went on to pursue a degree in computer science from N.C. State University.

A year of chaos

We asked Kenan about his biggest dumpster fire. True to his brand, it involved a lot of traveling. After getting tired of North Carolina, he and his wife decided to pack up and drive to Seattle. After getting an offer from a small consulting firm, he quickly realized it expanded too fast. A few months later, the company imploded.

Kenan and five of his friends scrambled to find a new gig and ended up accepting positions at an education company, tasked with rebuilding their entire back-end in 6 months. Although this nightmare project ended up taking a year, the long nights, commitment to the mission, and his team gave him the non-technical skills that afforded him many opportunities later on.

Ticket, please!

Kenan values the unique experiences that can only result from travel; he’s driven across the country five times and has seen every state except Louisiana, Michigan, Alaska, and Hawaii. His greatest fear is that he will not see as much of the world as possible before dying.  

Can the real cottagecore king please stand up

Cottagecore is a lifestyle aesthetic celebrating an idealized, rural life which Kenan embodies wholeheartedly. If he could do anything in the world, Kenan would go to Vermont, have a farm, and sell his fruits and vegetables grown with love.

He is currently living his North Carolina dream, where his home garden grows everything from tomatoes, peppers, and squash to watermelon, blueberries, and pomegranates. He also grows herbs and plants such as mint, thyme, poppies, butterfly bushes, and more.

We are so lucky to have you, Kenan!

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