Seth Kuhn

Pest Control Technician & Frontend Developer, Clark Pest Control / Independent

Seth Kuhn is the kind of person who shows up — every single day — even when no one is watching. Nestled in the mountains of Northern Central California, east of the Bay Area where the woods get deep and snow comes in winter, Seth lives a life defined by grit, range, and an unshakeable commitment to chasing something more. He is, at once, a certified pest control technician with one of California's most respected service companies, a former roast master who oversaw the production of more than 100,000 pounds of artisan coffee, a father of two young children, and a self-taught frontend developer who squeezes his coding sessions into the hours between 10 p.m. and midnight — after the kids are asleep and the day's obligations are fulfilled. There is a particular kind of ambition that operates without an audience, and Seth Kuhn embodies it. He spent three years as Production Manager and Roastmaster at Clayton Coffee & Tea in Modesto, California, where he developed an expertise in the craft of roasting — the precision of profiling, the inventory management, the coordination of production and shipping — that mirrors the systematic thinking he now applies to code. That career chapter ended. He transitioned into pest control, where he has worked for Clark Pest Control since 2012, maintaining a 98% customer retention rate and consistently placing in the top 25% of producers. The work is demanding, client-focused, and deeply human — it requires reading situations, communicating clearly, and solving problems under pressure. Seth is exceptionally good at it. But Seth's story, the reason he earned his spot on the Center Stage of Mornings in the Lab, is really about the dream he has carried quietly alongside his day job. From his home in the Sonora hills, on a clear day, he can see the San Francisco skyline in the distance — a city that has long represented, to him, the kind of tech-driven life he has aspired to build. That image became a symbol. In 2022, he enrolled in Scrimba's Frontend Developer Career Path, committing himself to learning JavaScript, React, and the full vocabulary of modern web development. He became a Torc Ambassador. He began posting on LinkedIn — consistently, transparently, with the kind of earnest daily presence that eventually caught the attention of the Mornings in the Lab team. What Seth represents on Center Stage is something the show has always believed in: that transformation doesn't require a dramatic leap. It can look like a 10 p.m. laptop session while toddlers sleep in the next room. It can look like a LinkedIn post on a Tuesday morning before a full day in the field. It can look like someone in the mountains, looking toward a city on the horizon, deciding that the distance between where they are and where they want to be is a problem worth solving — one line of code at a time. Seth appeared on Center Stage with Sophia Grant on Mornings in the Lab, sharing his journey from roast master to pest control professional to aspiring developer — and why the dream of working from San Francisco has never felt more within reach.

Key Insights from Seth Kuhn

I'm Northern Central California but I'm up in the mountains you think where the Bay Area is I'm due east in the cuts so it's rural it's up in the woods we get snow and yeah that's where I'm at.

— Seth Kuhn on Remote ambition in the mountains

His big dream — he can see San Francisco from his home, a place he has dreamed of working from for years.

— Seth Kuhn on San Francisco as the symbol of a dream

Seth finds his coding time between 10 p.m. and midnight after the kids go to bed.

— Seth Kuhn on Discipline: coding at midnight

He shows up every single day. Cuz I watch it. He shows up every single day.

— Seth Kuhn on Daily consistency as the foundation of transformation

Seth has roasted over 100,000 pounds of coffee as a roast master before turning his focus to code.

— Seth Kuhn on Mastery transferred: from roasting to coding

From Java to JavaScript.

— Seth Kuhn on Career reinvention through skill transfer

He's a family man first. Coder by night.

— Seth Kuhn on Balancing family and ambition

Seth is a frontend web developer with a twist — he's still working as a pest control technician.

— Seth Kuhn on Living in the transition between identities

Notable Quotes from Seth Kuhn

Seth finds his coding time between 10 p.m. and midnight after the kids go to bed.

— Seth Kuhn

He can see San Francisco from his home — a place he has dreamed of working from for years.

— Seth Kuhn

He shows up every single day. Cuz I watch it. He shows up every single day.

— Seth Kuhn

Frequently Asked Questions about Seth Kuhn

Who is Seth Kuhn the frontend developer from California?

Seth Kuhn is a self-taught frontend developer and pest control technician based in the mountains of Northern Central California, east of the San Francisco Bay Area. He worked as a Roastmaster and Production Manager at Clayton Coffee & Tea in Modesto for three years, where he oversaw the production of more than 100,000 pounds of artisan coffee. Since 2012, he has worked as a certified pest control technician for Clark Pest Control, maintaining a top-25% production ranking and a 98% client retention rate. In 2022, he enrolled in Scrimba's Frontend Developer Career Path to pursue his long-held dream of working in tech. He is a father of two toddlers and does most of his coding between 10 p.m. and midnight. He appeared as a Center Stage guest on Mornings in the Lab, where his story of daily discipline and remote ambition resonated with a wide audience.

What is Seth Kuhn learning in tech and what is his coding background?

Seth Kuhn is pursuing frontend web development through Scrimba's Frontend Developer Career Path, which he began in 2022. His focus areas include JavaScript, React, and modern web development practices. He is also a Torc Ambassador, indicating involvement with the Torc remote developer community. Seth's approach to coding is consistent and disciplined — he builds his skills in late-night sessions after his family responsibilities are complete. His background in material-level precision thinking (from coffee roasting and pest control diagnostics) translates well into the systematic problem-solving demanded by software development.

What does Seth Kuhn do for work and why is his story unique?

Seth Kuhn works as a pest control technician for Clark Pest Control in the Sonora, California area, where he has served since 2012. His story is unique because he is simultaneously building a second career as a frontend developer — not as a full-time student or unemployed career-changer, but as a working father of two who codes from 10 p.m. to midnight after his family is asleep. Before pest control, he spent three years as a Roastmaster and Production Manager at Clayton Coffee & Tea. Seth's career arc — from coffee roasting to pest control to web development — reflects a person who applies deep craftsmanship to every domain he enters, and who has decided that building something in tech is worth the years of late-night effort required to get there.

How did Seth Kuhn end up on Mornings in the Lab Center Stage?

Seth Kuhn was brought onto the Center Stage segment of Mornings in the Lab because of a LinkedIn post that caught the attention of host Keith. In the post, Seth shared his dream of working in San Francisco — a city he can literally see from his home in the mountains of Northern Central California. That post, combined with his consistent daily presence on LinkedIn and the compelling arc of his story (pest control by day, coding by night, dreaming of tech while raising two toddlers), made him a natural fit for Center Stage. He appeared on the show to share his journey and the philosophy of daily discipline that drives it.

What is the combination lock theory mentioned in the Mornings in the Lab episode with Seth Kuhn?

The combination lock theory referenced in connection with Seth Kuhn's appearance on Mornings in the Lab is a framework suggesting that there is no universal key to success — only the specific combination of your skills, your relationships, and your path that fits your life. For Seth, this means that his unusual combination of coffee roasting expertise, pest control diagnostics experience, fatherhood, and self-taught coding skills forms a profile that is entirely his own. The theory encourages people to stop looking for a generic formula and start identifying the specific combination of assets they already possess.

What is Seth Kuhn's LinkedIn and what does he post about?

Seth Kuhn's LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com/in/kuhn-seth) is where he has built a consistent public presence documenting his transition from pest control technician to frontend developer. He posts regularly about web development, coding progress, networking strategies, and the experience of building a tech career while managing a full-time non-tech job and raising young children. His daily consistency on LinkedIn was specifically noted by the Mornings in the Lab host as evidence of the discipline and commitment that earned him a Center Stage spot. His headline describes him as 'Torc Ambassador | Customer Service Specialist | React Developer | Your friendly neighborhood bug guy.'

Interview with Seth Kuhn — Topics Covered

  1. Introduction and geography (~2 minutes)
  2. The dual-identity setup (~2 minutes)
  3. The coffee roasting chapter (~3 minutes)
  4. The LinkedIn post and the San Francisco dream (~3 minutes)
  5. The 10 PM to midnight coding sessions (~3 minutes)
  6. Family first, coder second (~3 minutes)
  7. Learning path and Scrimba (~3 minutes)
  8. Daily LinkedIn consistency (~2 minutes)
  9. The dream and what it means (~3 minutes)
  10. Closing and what's next (~2 minutes)

Seth Kuhn — Areas of Expertise

  • Self-taught frontend development and career transition
  • JavaScript and React development
  • Daily discipline and consistency in skill-building
  • Balancing family, career, and side-hustle ambitions
  • Pest control and residential/commercial diagnostics
  • Coffee roasting and artisan production management
  • LinkedIn presence-building for non-traditional career paths
  • Remote work ambitions and tech career access from rural areas
  • Torc developer platform and remote tech communities
  • Late-night learning and non-traditional study schedules

Watch: Chasing Dreams

Full Center Stage interview with Seth Kuhn on Mornings in the Lab.

Watch on YouTube

Seth Kuhn — Show Appearances

  • Mornings in the Lab (2025-07-01)

Seth Kuhn — Signal Brief

Signal Score: 6/100

Generated 2026-04-15T21:20:29.118Z