About

Background

Hallo!

I'm Zac Stryker, a machine learning engineer and full-stack developer based in Utrecht, Netherlands. Two things have defined my career: an insatiable drive to teach myself new skills, and a deep love of tinkering. Over the past 10+ years, I've brought that energy to the software development cycle across legal, financial, public health, and higher education organizations.

My path into tech started in an unlikely place — the computer lab at Florida State University's College of Music. While studying music theory and composition, I took on a job as a computer technician and discovered I loved solving technical problems just as much as I loved writing music. I added Computer Science coursework to learn C++ and terminal administration, and by the time I graduated in 2016 with a degree in Music, I had the skills to land my first tech role at First Commerce Credit Union. There, I gained my first hands-on experience with front-end web languages through website administration and discovered a real talent for investigating helpdesk tickets — but I was already eager for the next challenge.

A brief stint in 2018 at the FSU College of Social Sciences confirmed what I already suspected: I didn't just want to support software — I wanted to build it. Later that year, I eagerly took an opportunity to train on databases and SQL for a position with Aderant, a legal software company. At Aderant, I quickly stood out. Hired onto the escalation team to troubleshoot customer servers and databases remotely, I started writing custom SQL scripts that caught my manager's attention and soon progressed to developing reports and customizations from feature requests. The role taught me to navigate the unpredictable landscape of customer environments and business requirements while sharpening my ability to write and test production code.

In 2020, I relocated during the COVID-19 pandemic and accepted an offer with the Florida Department of Health to work as a Data Analyst on their COVID Reporting Portal. It was my first exposure to electronic health records, data privacy, and cloud architecture — and I made the most of it. On my own initiative, I built dashboards and reports that my peers encouraged me to present to our team leads. That visibility earned me a promotion into my first full-stack role, and before long I was recruited in 2021 by the Defense Health Agency under the Department of Defense.

At DHA, I became my team's trusted data expert, honing my skills in database administration, data analysis, visualization, and a range of cloud and on-prem data pipeline solutions. Working closely with stakeholders to translate business logic into software gave me a strong foundation in business intelligence — and an appreciation for the strategic side of development.

In late 2023, I joined Day Pitney LLP as a Financial Systems Support Analyst, where I've been ever since. Leveraging my prior experience with Aderant products, I've delivered highly customized solutions — from web applications and process automation to interactive dashboards and reports — while gaining valuable insight into law firm administration and financial accounting processes. Over the past year, the rise of AI agents and LLMs has pulled my curiosity in a new direction. I've been independently building my machine learning skill set — learning to build and train models, and working with a modern Python stack including TensorFlow, NumPy, and pandas.

Given that politcal instability and injustice have been on the rise in America in recent years, I made the decision in 2025 to relocate to the Netherlands with my wife. We made the move to Utrecht last December, after we fell in love with it over the course of several visits. I have full access to the Dutch labor market and won't require employer sponsorship at any point. I'm currently looking for a role where I can bring my full-stack experience and self-taught ML skills to the cutting edge of machine learning development. If you'd like to talk more about how my experience could contribute to your team, please get in touch with me over on the Contact page.

Philosophy

I believe that technology has the potential for both immense benefit to society as well as grievous harm. The key difference between these outcomes is the ethical responsibility of those who leverage it. Ideally technology should benefit us all equally, but it won't unless we work together to cooperate, share knowledge, and protect each other. I believe that a society of informed citizens is harder to oppress. I love teaching and mentoring my peers when I get the chance. Making the learning curve easier for others is something I constantly strive for.