About Me

I started my programming journey quite a while ago, but only recently decided to make it a career. As someone always looking for creative projects to get stuck into, computers seemed to offer many possibilities - originally this was tinkering with music software, or building review websites covering the (now officially ‘retro’) PS2, hacked together using HTML tables (how everything on the web was built back then) and the equally modern FrontPage Express (WYSIWGY editor discontinued as of 2006).

It was a lot of fun in those early days, but my interests led me elsewhere. I pursued Philosophy at university, earning a Masters degree, and then built a career with charitable organizations like Cancer Research UK. There, I established myself as a skilled trainer and project manager in finance, contributing to a great cause.

Over time, I felt an urge to return to something tech-related. To my surprise, I discovered a lot of crossover between my academic and professional experiences, and the world of programming. Both fields require breaking down complex ideas and processes into their component parts, much like understanding the logical flow of a piece of software. Only computers tend to be a little less forgiving...

In late 2021, I committed to training as a full-stack developer alongside my charity career. This journey has been incredibly rewarding, evolving from self-training through online courses and mentorship to freelance projects and real-world solutions. One such project is a Direct Debit Calendar app, now in production, automating critical processes for my organisation.

You can see some of my previous projects and what I am working on now at my GitHub: here.

Currently I’m designing and building a full-stack CRUD application (at the request of numerous users) displaying information and reviews for public bathrooms, with an emphasis on accessibility and community collaboration using local knowledge. This makes use of the MERN stack and the Overpass API from Open Street Map, a fantastic community-driven source of geographical data.

I also enjoy deep-dives into web technology - check out my articles on dev.to.

If my work resonates with you and you'd like to collaborate, I'd love to hear from you: