Hobbies
Spending time with my daughter, programming (duh!), raspberry pi and video games. Mentoring - I've mentored a few programmers over the years and I really enjoy it. Frankly, the mentorship goes both ways. If you're interested in having a more experienced programmer mentor you, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I do it for free. :)
Strongest Areas of Knowledge
Javascript (vanilla, Node, jQuery, Angular, you name it), CSS, HTML, PHP, Linux, DevOps, SysAdmin, AWS, GIT
Projects I'm Proud Of
Sending Positive Vibes - Creator - I used barebones HTML, CSS and JS to create a simple PWA app where you can tap or click to send "positive vibes" to that part of the world (on a map). I used Openstreetmaps for the map source. I also used a geohashing library to maintain the data. As vibes are sent, the map is updated so you can see it.
Zolo - Senior & Lead Developer - Updated an older infrastructure to support 4 million pageview a day. Mostly with AWS tools. Implemented new procedures and tools that increased developer productivity significantly. Found and implemented areas that gained significant performance improvements.
CATSA - Senior & Lead Developer - Created back-end architecture that supports the main website plus their mobile apps. Airport security lineup staff across Canada use my system to update wait times.
TWiT - Senior (and only) Developer - I didn't build their flagship site (although I helped) but I did build an intricate internal system that managed their audio and video files, converted them to proper formats and automatically uploaded them to proper cloud services. Then a subsequent system that automatically notified the public (and updated the website) when new shows were available for consumption.
[Insert link to your closest Jaguar / Land Rover dealer here] - Yep. I was one of three architects on a deployment and management system for the apps that go into the head units on newer Jaguar / Land Rovers. This meant some time in Coventry too! The vehicles all communicate with a complicated back-end system that manages their OS versions as well as individual apps and their versions. Super cool.
Are you still reading?
If you want to know a lot more about my experience, keep going.
Note: Some of these positions overlapped when freelancing.
Sycle: Innovating Audiology Management Solutions
Tenure: 1 Year
Role: Senior Architect
Overview:
Sycle stands out in the realm of audiology management, offering a comprehensive product line that empowers owners and audiologists to seamlessly manage patients, inventory, and more, across departments, clinics, or offices.
Key Contributions & Impact:
Responsibilities & Achievements:
Through strategic architectural planning and collaborative efforts, my tenure at Sycle was marked by innovative solutions, streamlined operations, and the successful navigation of technical challenges to deliver robust audiology management solutions.
PawBoost: Reuniting Pets with Their Families
Tenure: 2 Years
Role: Senior Developer
Company Insight:
At the heart of PawBoost is a dedicated team committed to reuniting lost pets with their families through the power of social media advertising, specifically leveraging targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. My journey with PawBoost was not just professionally rewarding but also emotionally fulfilling, contributing daily to a compassionate cause.
Key Contributions & Impact:
My tenure at PawBoost was marked by significant technical enhancements, strategic simplifications, and a hands-on leadership approach, all contributing to a more effective platform that continues to bring joy to families by reuniting them with their lost pets.
Zolo Canada: Pioneering Real Estate Digital Solutions
Tenure: 2 Years
Role: Senior Developer
Company Insight:
Zolo Canada stands as one of the premier digital real estate platforms in the country, offering comprehensive property listings and resources. My role was instrumental in not only enhancing the technical backbone of the services but also in pioneering new features and operational efficiencies within the organization.
Key Contributions & Impact:
Through strategic leadership, technical acumen, and a hands-on approach, my journey with Zolo Canada was marked by significant milestones in performance optimization, system enhancement, and team leadership, contributing substantially to the company's position as a digital real estate leader in Canada.
InSite (1 year)
Senior Developer
These guys do a few things but, for the most part, they help to convert hard cover media into digital media. I helped them get a few features out the door in their ASP.NET platform and also to build out a few simpler sites for some of their clients who required something leaner. A lot of JS, CSS, HTML.
AppDirect (3 years)
Senior Developer & Solutions Architect
I was involved in some of the best projects I've ever worked on. I spent a few months as a senior developer on some smaller teams and then I moved up to a technical lead role where I managed up to a dozen people and a couple of ongoing projects. We mostly focused on Java, Node and PHP. We also did a bunch of Drupal. Towards the end (like, a year) I was a solutions architect working directly under the CTO.
Ravello Media (10 months)
Senior Developer
They have several hospitality companies (and, therefore, websites) that I got to work. It ranged from doing front-end website adjustments to working on their back-end booking / scheduling system, connecting to their hotel machines and more.
Sitepoint (6 months)
Premium PHP Editor
For a short while I had the privilege of managing the premium PHP channel on Sitepoint. I would reach out to developers and help them to come up with lessons, videos and other material for the channel. My life changed and I had to make a shift so I stepped down from this role.
Tabs & Spaces (1 year)
Freelance Consultant
I was one of the senior developers working on a Symantec and Norton forum / community site. This was heavily Drupal based, a mixture of 6 & 7, with a big emphasis on a javascript front-end.
Crifkin (1 year)
Freelance Consultant
I did a number of smaller projects from a bit of javascript / html to some theming. Nothing too heavy but the projects required a bit of a senior hand.
TWiT (This Week In Tech) (2 years)
Lead Developer
In short, was an all-around computer engineer, as I helped them with everything from servers, networks and more to computers and advising them on any gadgets they needed or improvements to their computer systems that would help them become more efficient. However, my main focus was on web development with regards to their flagship site and a secondary site for their highest grossing show.
BigFork Web Development (1 years)
Lead Developer
I was the lead developer on many of their client websites, helping them create new coding standards and managing their servers from time to time.
Coastal Sleep (4 years)
Lead Developer, Network Administrator, Computer Technician
I helped them upgrade their server and network infrastructure across three different offices so all their offices could communicate with each other more efficiently, which saved time and money. This role ended up being a good mix of both hardware and software work.
TechnoTribe (2 years)
Lead Developer
Provided a lot of CSS, HTML and PHP coding skills to build smaller websites or enhance existing ones. Also did some work with mobile friendly sites or converting sites to a mobile friendly platform.
Paintball Gear Canada (3 years)
Lead Developer
Paintball Gear Canada is one of the largest Paintball retail companies in Canada. It has a large retail and web presence. It began as a platform PHP e-commerce system that was eventually re-done so much to suit increasing demands that it is now a beast to maintain. However, it holds itself together quite well and is able to maintain traffic that results in millions of dollars in revenue each year.
There's more!
I have a lot more experience, going back at least ten years, so please feel free to ask.
Technical Skills
Full list of languages, systems or other things I know in order from strongest to not as strong.
Javascript (vanilla, lots of libs, Node), GIT, CSS, HTML, PHP, AWS, SysAdmin, DevOps, Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Redhat), Agile MySQL, Mongo, ElasticSearch, Google Analytics, Google APIs, Lucene, SOLR, Drupal, Wordpress, Laravel, Symfony, Zend, Magento, Apache, Scalable Infrastructure, Load Balancing, Perl, C, C++, C#, Window, Mac, iOS Dev (Swift & Objective-C), Android (Java), SEO
There's even more!
I have a decent list of websites I've worked on so go ahead and ask me for more!
Thank you for taking the time to review my portfolio. I hope to hear from you soon.