Programming Philosophy & Background
I’ve loved functional programming from the moment I learned that recursion makes perfect sense, and tail-recursion even more so. I began with an Object Oriented background through learning programming in high school and the first few years of my Computer Science degree. I had developed a firm grasp of logic and programming concepts. Then, when the functional paradigm crossed my path, it felt as if my whole world opened up to a new way of perceiving code and expanded my horizon toward immutability.
Education & Experience
I graduated in 2022 with an Honors degree in Commerce, majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Economics (trading specifically).
Since then, I have been working as an Elixir developer for a utility management company specializing in IoT smart metering and billing solutions. It’s a small development team, which has enabled me to head a wide array of projects:
- Accounting system integrated with Xero
- Billing solutions for clients
- IoT UDP CoAP servers and Sigfox-backed communications
- Database design
- Phoenix UI
- Ash Framework
- DevOps and GitOps workflows for CI orchestration (Docker containers on AWS with Kubernetes, deployed via ArgoCD, provisioned with Terraform)
I have worked on these projects through multiple architectures: from the initial umbrella project to micro-services coordinated by RabbitMQ, and now the latest Poncho project.
What Drives Me
Beyond my love of the functional paradigm and working in Elixir, I reap massive rewards from improving performance through code optimization. Getting a task to perform at scale is where I most enjoy spending my time in programming. Following on from that, I find that simplifying complexity is equally fulfilling.
Personal Background
I’m a hard working individual with a desire to learn, grow, and have fun while doing it, though I can also fall into the trap of being a perfectionist. However, since working in a fast-paced environment, I have been learning to not let it hold me back.
I come from a background of being close to nature—whether climbing, fishing, camping, hiking, or simply sitting around a fire in the bush, they all fill my cup. When I have the time, I love to play video games, specifically the ones that require very precise timing and strategic planning to beat. That being said, fantasy role-playing games also have my heart.
Current Goals
I’ve created this profile to allow myself to dream a little bigger. I currently live in Johannesburg and ideally, I’d love to move somewhere closer to nature or work remotely so I can still allow my skillset to serve a purpose for an engaging team who provide a platform to grow and develop.
I currently hold a senior position where I am; however, as it’s a small team, I’d be comfortable with a mid-level position in a larger team. Although, I also accept that there’s always more to learn if a junior position is available.
Closing
Thank you for your time, and I hope we get the opportunity to align our goals.