Summary
Mat Hultquist has spent most of his life tinkering with technology in some way, messing with his family computer and working his way up to doing IT work at his high school. Who else could be a more accurate description of an "autistic techie"? Mat is a former colleague of Shea's at Mentra and is now a software engineer at Lattice. Join us as we talk about his self discovery of autism & ADHD, how hyperfocus helps him get work done, and how other people can be more supportive of neurodivergent people in their lives.

Takeaways
Mathew's early curiosity with technology began by taking apart his family's computer.
Minecraft sparked Mathew's interest in software development and coding.
Attending a coding class introduced Mathew to Java, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
Mathew's experiences in school led him to explore network security and sysadmin tasks.
Mentra provided a supportive environment for Mathew to embrace his neurodiversity.
Self-advocacy became easier for Mathew after his experiences at Mentra.
Mathew learned that people are generally open to adapting their communication styles.
Hyper-focus allows Mathew to accomplish significant work in short bursts.
Neurodiversity is a spectrum, and experiences vary widely among individuals.
Mathew emphasizes the importance of being honest about one's needs in social situations.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Matthew Hultquist
03:02 Journey into Technology and Software Engineering
05:32 The Impact of Neurodiversity on Personal and Professional Life
08:22 Experiences at Mentra and Self-Discovery
11:25 Navigating Neurodiversity in the Workplace
14:20 The Role of Hyper-Focus in Problem Solving
17:16 Final Thoughts and Connections