"How I Went from" is an ongoing blog series that highlights our employees' different journeys to InterWorks. The results are pretty diverse, but each story is special in its own right.

Working at InterWorks has changed my life in so many positive ways. One of the biggest changes was taking on the challenge of traveling to new cities across the country (and world) every week. To understand the magnitude of this change, let me tell you a little about myself.

I grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, and ever since I was young, I always wanted to be home. I loved being home! Between Netflix, barbecuing and video games, there was never a reason to leave. Now don’t get me wrong, I played sports, taught martial arts and waited tables, but I always relished the idea of spending time at home. Even in college, I remember that the minute class was over, I was in route back home to relax.

Above: Cooking up an epic meal.

When Everything Changed

When I decided to pursue my master’s degree in analytics, I was not prepared for the amount of time I would spend on campus. In fact, I practically lived at school. The degree was a two-year program crammed into 10 months. During that time, I spent countless late nights working on projects with teammates and attending classes.

Above: Posing with Dr. Joni Shreve, the director of LSU’s analytics program.

All that time spent in a small team room inspired me to do something different than my norm. I wanted to experience a new change of scenery, traveling to far off and distant lands that I’d only seen in movies.

It was around this time that I was introduced to InterWorks from a fellow LSU grad, Katie Fontenot. She told story after story of the amazing experiences and places she’d been working for InterWorks, all while evangelizing people on the wondrous power of Tableau.

Above: Katie and I singing at karaoke at the InterWorks Christmas party 2015.

Right away, I was intrigued by the thought of going from destination to destination, like one vacation after the other! It didn’t take long to convince myself that I could survive being away from home and adopt a completely opposite lifestyle than I had ever had. When the time was right, I applied and was hired by InterWorks as an analytics consultant with the intention to travel every week to help clients wherever they may be.

Are You Sure?

When I first started, I got my feet wet by traveling every other week. It wasn’t long before I was traveling every week. Once that happened, I never looked back! Here I was, a simple home lovin’ southern boy who had been to four states total (if you count the ones you drive through), becoming a road warrior. My weeks now consisted of starting Tableau training on Monday in San Francisco to closing the week with another training in New York City. I spent weekends visiting friends all over the country, heading back once or twice a month to check on Pete Jr. who was holding down the fort in the Stillwater office.

Above: Pete Jr. living it up!

After six months of intense travel, I decided to live out of my backpack and carry-on suitcase. If you ever want to simplify your life of clutter and understand what your necessities are, give this a try. I always love seeing people’s reaction when they hear that I hop from one place to another with nothing but my backpack.

Above: Everything I own.

What’s It Like?

Living in hotels and traveling on planes has its ups and downs (no pun intended), but it has become a peaceful routine for me. Waking up early and hitting the gym, teaching and helping clients all day, tasting new and exciting local delicacies, and finally taking a dip in the hot tub can be a rough life – but hey, someone’s got to do it!  🙂

Above: Some of the many places I’ve been.

Do I ever get tired of traveling all the time? There are definitely times when I miss being home, but I absolutely love my job and have had so many experiences that I would never have had otherwise. I have to give a huge thanks to all my friends and family for their constant support! Special thanks to my understanding wife for allowing me to constantly travel and do what I love – all while planning a wedding and building a house!