About Me
Some ask, and I often wonder myself, why have a webpage?!? I don't know...for starters who wouldn't want to save their own "digital" identity, and who knows when you'll have your 15 seconds of fame? The concept of creating or protecting a personal brand has been floating around and was enough for me to stake out my online real estate. You know...so the other Ben Rapin's in the world couldn't beat me to it ;)
I've worked in the web development, design, and project management realm in one capacity or another for about 12 years, yet I've managed to successfully avoid maintaining my own site for some time. My professional career began as a developer working with ASP in a Microsoft partner shop (CQL Inc.) but I migrated more to the client/people side of web projects about the time .NET rolled out. Maybe it was a way to avoid learning something new, but I prefer to think that it was where my talents more naturally fit.
After an exciting stint with CQL I decided to jump ship and take a position with my alma mater, Grand Valley State University. I currently perform a sundry list of tasks for the Web Team at GVSU, but most notably my role as Web Manager revolves around project management and internal client support for an ever-growing list of custom web applications. I'm continually amazed by the projects our small team produces, and our tools are quickly becoming the envy of other schools!
Somewhere in the midst of all this I was able to earn a master's degree in Information Systems Management from Ferris State University. I'm not sure what exactly that buys me, but it was a fair amount of work and a big accomplishment. If nothing else, it instilled in me the value of being a life long learner and listener.
As the saying goes... "The cobbler always wears the worst shoes." I am often too busy helping other with thier sites that mine is left unkempt. If you're looking for more info or if I can be of some service to you please email me here: ben@benrapin.com.