Software engineer Mike Gorse shares how early mentorship, Linux accessibility work, and steady investing shaped his career and financial freedom. Hosts Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner explore his journey from Duxbury Systems to SUSE, the lessons he’s learned about networking, relocation, and accessibility in tech, and how a simple, long-term investing approach brought stability and choice. His advice: connect with peers in your field, volunteer to gain traction, stay open to opportunities, and align your work and finances with what matters most.
Contact Info
Guest — Mike Gorse
📧 mike@straddlethebox.org
🐘 @MikeGorse@mindly.social
Penny Forward — pennyforward.com
Aftersight — aftersight.org | feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner
Guest: Mike Gorse
Producer / Post: Jonathan Price
Music: Andre Louis
Presented by: Penny Forward in partnership with Aftersight
Sponsors: Thrivent and The Nasdaq Foundation
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Intro: Building bright futures
00:15 — Meet Mike Gorse
02:10 — Early tech and Braille foundations
04:23 — First job at Duxbury Systems
06:41 — Linux and open-source accessibility
11:05 — Joining Novell and SUSE
13:23 — Handling discouragement and finding mentors
15:28 — Advice for career counselors and seekers
17:48 — Remote work and moving to Austin
19:50 — Context matters in career paths
22:11 — Housing co-ops and community
24:58 — Pros and cons of shared living
26:43 — Investing wisely and the Simple Path to Wealth
28:40 — FIRE and financial independence
30:54 — Networking and creating opportunities
33:19 — How to reach Mike
35:25 — Credits and Aftersight partnership
All content for Penny Forward is the property of Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Software engineer Mike Gorse shares how early mentorship, Linux accessibility work, and steady investing shaped his career and financial freedom. Hosts Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner explore his journey from Duxbury Systems to SUSE, the lessons he’s learned about networking, relocation, and accessibility in tech, and how a simple, long-term investing approach brought stability and choice. His advice: connect with peers in your field, volunteer to gain traction, stay open to opportunities, and align your work and finances with what matters most.
Contact Info
Guest — Mike Gorse
📧 mike@straddlethebox.org
🐘 @MikeGorse@mindly.social
Penny Forward — pennyforward.com
Aftersight — aftersight.org | feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner
Guest: Mike Gorse
Producer / Post: Jonathan Price
Music: Andre Louis
Presented by: Penny Forward in partnership with Aftersight
Sponsors: Thrivent and The Nasdaq Foundation
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Intro: Building bright futures
00:15 — Meet Mike Gorse
02:10 — Early tech and Braille foundations
04:23 — First job at Duxbury Systems
06:41 — Linux and open-source accessibility
11:05 — Joining Novell and SUSE
13:23 — Handling discouragement and finding mentors
15:28 — Advice for career counselors and seekers
17:48 — Remote work and moving to Austin
19:50 — Context matters in career paths
22:11 — Housing co-ops and community
24:58 — Pros and cons of shared living
26:43 — Investing wisely and the Simple Path to Wealth
28:40 — FIRE and financial independence
30:54 — Networking and creating opportunities
33:19 — How to reach Mike
35:25 — Credits and Aftersight partnership
Podcast: Employment Programs with Jeremy Grandstaff
Penny Forward
29 minutes
1 year ago
Podcast: Employment Programs with Jeremy Grandstaff
Because of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we wanted to focus on Penny Forward’s employment programs, so we brought on Jeremy Grandstaff, who leads our youth employment and advocacy programs, and is also the author of our Employment Essentials course, to talk about those things. In addition to his work with Penny Forward, Jeremy lives just outside Washington D.C, with his husband Jerry and their seeing eye dog Ozzy. Jeremy works for CurbCutOS as the VP of Business Development, focusing on bringing in new customers to help them develop accessible digital assets. And he is a strong champion of learning in the workplace about DEI initiatives.
Show notes
Employment Programs with Jeremy Grandstaff TranscriptDownload
Guest: Jeremy Grandstaff with CurbCutOS
Jeremy Grandstaff Email: Jeremyg@curbcutos.com or Jeremy.Grandstaff@pennyforward.com
Phone: 202-810-5368
Connect with Penny Forward
pennyforward.compennyforward@pennyforward.com
Clubhouse House
Facebook
Youtube
Get our app, guest membership is free!
IOS/AppleGooglePlay
Post Production help provided by Brynn Lee: Superblink.org
Transcription services provided by Anne Verduin
Penny Forward
Software engineer Mike Gorse shares how early mentorship, Linux accessibility work, and steady investing shaped his career and financial freedom. Hosts Chris Peterson and Liz Bottner explore his journey from Duxbury Systems to SUSE, the lessons he’s learned about networking, relocation, and accessibility in tech, and how a simple, long-term investing approach brought stability and choice. His advice: connect with peers in your field, volunteer to gain traction, stay open to opportunities, and align your work and finances with what matters most.
Contact Info
Guest — Mike Gorse
📧 mike@straddlethebox.org
🐘 @MikeGorse@mindly.social
Penny Forward — pennyforward.com
Aftersight — aftersight.org | feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson, Liz Bottner
Guest: Mike Gorse
Producer / Post: Jonathan Price
Music: Andre Louis
Presented by: Penny Forward in partnership with Aftersight
Sponsors: Thrivent and The Nasdaq Foundation
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Intro: Building bright futures
00:15 — Meet Mike Gorse
02:10 — Early tech and Braille foundations
04:23 — First job at Duxbury Systems
06:41 — Linux and open-source accessibility
11:05 — Joining Novell and SUSE
13:23 — Handling discouragement and finding mentors
15:28 — Advice for career counselors and seekers
17:48 — Remote work and moving to Austin
19:50 — Context matters in career paths
22:11 — Housing co-ops and community
24:58 — Pros and cons of shared living
26:43 — Investing wisely and the Simple Path to Wealth
28:40 — FIRE and financial independence
30:54 — Networking and creating opportunities
33:19 — How to reach Mike
35:25 — Credits and Aftersight partnership
