Hi, I'm Astral Sterling.

I'm a nerd who enjoys things like TTRPGs, coding, and video games. Nothing relaxes me quite like a good drive with the windows down, the AC blasting, and the radio turned up ("Party in the USA" is my go-to for these; I'm a nuisance, I know).

I'm self-taught in Python, HTML, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, and CSS. I've been working with Linux and Windows systems for a few years now, both in a "home lab" environment and a production one. Along the way I've picked up tools like n8n, Git, and Metabase — though the headaches from learning Metabase still haunt me to this day. I've self-hosted game servers for myself and friends, everything from simple Minecraft servers to things like Soulmask and Palworld. I've also maintained and repaired servers and desktop systems, and let's just say I have the best love-hate relationship with cable management.

I've lived in several states — Nevada, Arizona, and now Iowa, where I currently reside. I've held a range of positions, from Merchandiser to Paralegal to IT (both systems repair and general troubleshooting) to Sales roles at large international companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. I even streamed on Twitch for a while, made affiliate, and built some great friendships with streamers from across the globe.

My favorite simple pleasures in life are a good anime and playing D&D with friends. My longest-running campaign with the same players lasted almost five years, ending only because two of them moved across the country and playing online wasn't an option for us at the time. Since then, our table has reunited virtually and is back at it again! All in all, I feel like I've lived a wonderfully blessed and diverse life.

These days, I spend my free time tinkering with home lab projects, refining my self-hosted setups, and picking up new tools whenever something catches my curiosity (ask me about Metabase again and I might cry a little). If you're looking for someone who can troubleshoot and repair a system, wrangle a messy network, or just need an extra set of hands on a project — I'm always happy to chat. Feel free to reach out, whether it's about freelance work or you just want to talk about your favorite anime or D&D stuff.