About me

I've worked with small startups and corporate companies. I have worked on small and large teams, quick MVP products and large enterprise solutions.

I have worked on several technologies such as .NET C#, Python, Ruby on Rails and PHP, but the one language I believe to be the one true ring to rule them all is JavaScript. Check out Geoff Schmidt's video on JavaScript State of the Union. No other language is capable of being isomorphic and run on every single device. From Desktop to browser to server to Mobile all the way to IoT (internet of things) devices.

I have solid experience with the full stack. From developing databases and generating the relationship between tables/collections on SQL and NoSQL solutions, to coding the domain layer and business logic on the server all the way to tweaking the styles to create the perfect user experience. However, my true specialty lies in the middle between the UX Designer and the DBA, working with business logic, defining the API and what data to send accross to the UI. Creating controllers (in a MVP structure) or component logic (in web components), handling and manipulating the data that get sent across. Some call it the Integration layer. I like to look at it as handling the communication between all the various parts in the system. Every component is different and needs data in a different format for optimal performance.

I believe in using tools around the team to increase productivity so that the developers can focus on the code itself. Having tools such as Webpack for hot-reloading, or Linting tools to warn you about potential errors and intellisense to autocomplete your code is priceless. Creating a CI not only for automated builds and pushing code, but to notify the team of a bad push can save a company from overnight downfall. Methodologies such as Agile and tools such as Trello or Zenhub to do sprint planning and issue reporting goes a long way for productivity.

How I keep my skills sharp

I like to stay up to date with the latest cutting-edge technologies. In order to do that, I spend a lot of my private time going through blogs and videos of various technologies. I read hackernews, watch videos such as Google I/O, FireCasts and Meteor Devshop.

I attend meetups and hackathons on a regular basis. I try and build my network on like-minded people and stay in touch with them. To name a few I've recently attended: Cape Town DevOps, Cape Town Software Developers, Startup Grind and Meteor Cape Town

When ever I drive in traffic or long distance I tend to open up a podcast of JavaScript Air