Shortly after receiving his pilot's license as a Royal Canadian Air Cadet, John dropped out of Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University to pursue a degree (and career) in Corporate Finance. A few years later, his wife bought him a twelve-inch Dobsonian Telescope for Christmas (to be fair, she got leather boots). He joined the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, volunteering as many as four nights per week under California's cloudless skies. During his time at MDAS he began writing essays for the club's magazine, Diablo MoonWatch, and later published his first book, 50 Things to See with a Small Telescope. In 2016, John left corporate America, and is now a full time astrophysics student in Halifax, Nova Scotia.