Who Am I

I am a 29 year old software developer based in Leicester. I hold an MEng in Computer Science that I received from the University of Hertfordshire in 2018.

I have always enjoyed programming. My first foray into programming was DOS commands and batch scripting. I loved the ability to carry out multiple tasks what seemed instantly (back on Windows XP) and with great precision. Pretty soon I was hooked, and quickly moved on to Visual Basic, which lead to object-oriented languages like C# and the .NET framework.

Soon I discoverd WPF Forms, and my interest in building good user interfaces. This lead me down a split path, trying to create good looking user interfaces in both the desktop app environment (utilising Java/JavaFX), and the rapidly growing web app environment (using HTM/CSS, with JavaScript/JQuery/PHP to produce functionality). Though, the growing trend to move all apps to a web based environment made it clear where the market is heading.

Now in a professional environment, I have found a love for Typescript, and especially frameworks like React (with hooks is even better). I find this mix ideal for small and large projects alike, and makes for easy collaboration across teams. I'm a strong advocate for making things type-safe and modularised, allowing for greater reusability and maintenance.

Interests

Staying on the techy side of things, I greatly enjoy technology in general. I like to get my hands on any new tech, and have built myself more than one PC.

In my down time I like to game, especially with friends. I'm a big fan of Escape From Tarkov, and occasionally like to torture myself with League of Legends.

More recently I have picked up playing chess. I'm not very good, but have enjoyed learning the different concepts and openings, and can only hope that I get better in time. I currently favour the London and Dutch Defence.

As for staying active, I like a good game of 5-a-side football, and when possible I enjoy airsoft with my friends.

Aspirations

Possibly my largest aspiration is to one day end up in Canada. I visited back in 2013, and instantly fell in love with the stunning scenery and welcoming people. I stayed in the Rocky Mountains, within Banff National Park, and it was the most serene place I have visited to date. Luckily, with the more recent prevelance of remote working, this doesn't seem too unrealistic.

Aside from that, my dream car is an Aston Martin, either a Vantage or DB11 (I wouldn't be fussy). This is somewhat less likely than remote working from Canada, especially with the rise of electric cars, but I have always loved the design.