Carey Parker, CIPM was born and raised in Indiana, an only child who loved to tear apart his electronic toys and reassemble them in interesting ways. He began programming computers in middle school when personal computers were just starting to become popular. For years, these twin interests percolated until he attended Purdue University and learned that you could get paid to do this stuff--it was called electrical engineering! After obtaining both bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering, Carey launched his career in telecommunications software development at Bell Northern Research (aka the "Big Nerd Ranch"). Over the next 20 years, he wrote software for multiple companies, large and small, and lived in various cities across the southern United States. In recent years, particularly after the Edward Snowden revelations in 2013, Carey became deeply concerned about computer security and privacy. In 2014, he began combining his passion for computers, cybersecurity, and fantasy novels with his long-time desire to write a book, and the result is Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons. This eventually launched a blog, newsletter, and weekly podcast of the same name.