Justin Flint
Justin is a self-taught Software Engineer who specializes in the .NET stack. After a year of YouTube tutorials and struggle, he published a Social Media app on the Apple App Store, Vizibl.
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As Software Engineer II at ITW, Justin builds iOS and Android apps while leading IoT solutions for large customers such as Walmart and Panera.
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Justin lives in Seattle, spending most of his time on the water with his significant other.​
My Story
In 2019, I left college for personal reasons and joined the assembly line at Baxter Manufacturing, a division of ITW. I went from studying Mechanical Engineering on a busy campus to assembling sheet metal panels at 5AM in a dark, depressing warehouse. Watching my Engineering career crumble felt like Hell. I was struggling, and my dreams were literally black and white for a short time. To paint the scene, my manager called my section of the line ‘The Green Mile.’
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Within a month, I designed and 3D Printed a fixture that reduced manufacturing time. After non-stop prayer, this earned me a promotion to the Engineering team where I published design changes and calibrated equipment for UL conformance.
After two years, I was ready for bigger challenges and greater impact, so I left to start a rocket manufacturing company. I spent six months refining my prototype and ultimately submitted a NASA SBIR Ignite proposal.
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NASA liked my concept, but denied funding due to my lack of formal education. This was understandable, but heartbreaking. Needing money, I got a job in a printing factory - right back where I started.
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Once again, I felt lost — until I remembered a C++ class I had taken in college and how much I enjoyed it. That pushed me to dive into coding tutorials on YouTube during downtime. One night, leaning against a Pitney Bowes printer, I discovered .NET MAUI — and instantly knew I’d found my passion.
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Miraculously, I received a phone call from my previous employer - Baxter Manufacturing. They were looking for a Software Developer and asked if I'd be interested. I told them yes - even though I knew I was underqualified.
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Two years later, I'm a Software Engineer with many complex projects in my portfolio. I recently secured the company $2.9M in purchase orders by implementing an Azure Device Update solution within a 6-week timeline. I was blessed with talented colleagues that did not hesitate to contribute. The opportunity to spearhead innovative solutions is exhilarating, I'm constantly researching ways to improve ITW's offerings.
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As a Software Engineer II, I loved the self-taught narrative. However, I eventually received my Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering to negotiate larger raises. This only took 9 months at WGU.
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I'm proud to have made it to the other side of an incredibly challenging chapter of life. There's always a happy ending when you do not give up.
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See Learn for a self-taught developer's guide.
Contact
I'm always looking for opportunities to help aspiring Software Engineers. Reach out.