My name is Joel Balmer and this page is deliberately a bit more informal, because people are more than just a resume. So here you will find a more chilled and laid-back layout of the things I enjoy. If you want to know more about me, feel free to get in touch via the contact page.

 

Anyway, I like to climb, code, chat and be confused. Why do I like to be confused? Because I like to have problems to solve, things to learn. I also love psychology and philosophy, to which I feel confusion is a prerequisite! I am currently studying psychology after spending more than a decade in the field of engineering, both academically and commercially. Unsure where the mix of engineering and psychology will take me, but I look forward to finding out! Last but not least, I really like teaching, and for a while considered it as a career, but instead have found ways to teach as part of the existing things I have done, for example being employed as an academic tutor by the University of Canterbury throughout my PhD studies.

 

I like to fail... but not too much and not for too long, I am human after-all... so I like to get things right the second time... don't mind failing once... don't like failing twice or thrice... but it happens :).

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Speaking of failure, what are the things I am terrible at? Spelling and grammar, thank goodness for spell check on PC's! So it wont come as a surprise to me if I have made any mistakes on my website! I also perpetually underestimate how long things will take, a curse of being optimistic perhaps? I am sure my family and friends could list lots more of my failings here, but best not to be too self-depreciating - humility is a better balance to aim for!

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I grew up in the North Island of New Zealand until I was 18, which was when I moved to the South Island of New Zealand for university. I ended up loving the South Island for its variety of outdoor activities and so never left. In fact, as far as I am concerned, New Zealand is the second most beautiful country in the world... it used to be the first until in 2017 when I visited Norway. If that upsets my fellow Kiwi countrymen and countrywomen, know that it upsets me too, but I deal in facts, even when the truth hurts.

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I don't know what else to tell you really, I mean there is a lot I could say and I have a tendency to ramble, but no need for this to be a blog post. Hope you have enjoyed looking around my site and as I said earlier, feel free to get in touch if you want to know more.

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Cheers!