My name is Maurice McCrae, a simple and ordinary guy who was born and raised in the island of Jamaica with small wallets and big dreams. I studied Computer Science at the University Of Technology, Jamaica for 4 years and worked as a Software Developer for approximately 2 years at a Telecom giant before I migrated to Canada. From ever since I was just a little lad, I’ve always been fascinated and also curious about different countries, the various stars and possible “worlds” outside of ours and pretty much every single detail of the beautiful mystery behind and above our clouds. This overwhelming curiosity led me to one of my first and probably boldest dream yet of becoming an Astronaut. I literally went to bed and dreamt several times over, myself aviating huge spacecraft for several years which perhaps might have been partly as a result of my addiction to astronomy documentaries and watching too much Star Wars as a kid. Well, how did I ended up not being an Astronaut? The truth is, while I was growing up I also grew a second love for computers and an appreciation for all it had to offer, after I built my first computer from scrap parts I acquired from a cousin who was a computer technician at the time. This was also coupled by a conversation I had with a Godmother I had who was somewhat a mentor in many ways. Shortly before I chose the subjects for a career path in high school, one day she cornered me and asked “what do you want to become Maurice, a lawyer or doctor?” I replied, “I want to become an Astronaut”, and she laughed so hard, I was surprised I didn’t start crying. Though that laughter was discouraging and stood in my mind for days later, we did have an in-depth and meaningful conversation, where she allowed me to explain why I wanted to do so and in the end she gave me an advice which I still use as a guide today. “It is great to have extravagant goals but in the same breath be realistic and logical”. Our conversation didn’t deter my curiosity for outer space and galaxies, but it opened my eyes and helped me to realize that my fascination and curiosity was merely amplified by the captivating fantasy of flying complex machines, traveling and viewing the world from a different perspective. I wasn’t able to start flight training earlier back in Jamaica, primarily because of the enormous expense and the low pay wages, however i decided to do as much self learning as possible and made it a priority to get my hands on any free educational materials I could find whether it was flight training manuals, introductory online courses, or simply trying to network with someone that might know someone who is an aviator to perhaps share some advice or insights. Over the years I’ve learnt a lot from various forums and videos from persons who were successful in their quest to become pilots whether their destination was for private or commercial reasons, however only a handful has been able to efficiently document and take someone through their journey in details especially in my region. With that said, my aim is to capture my experiences while I am on this journey so I can share it with the world so at least one individual can be inspired or at least one step closer to their passion or even one webpage less confused of how to start
