Qualifications and Experience
About this Document
This is an informal resume type of document. As a programmer I feel its important that potential employers know a little about my experience and qualifications. By no means is this a formal resume nor does it represent every facet of my abilities.
Languages I can Code...
HTML
I first learned basic HTML when I was thirteen. I believe it was version 3.2 or close to that back then. Of course back then standards were just being developed and the browser wars were about to end so my code was far from valid. I created many websites either about me, my love of songwriting, or both.
XHTML
I took a couple year hiatus from coding and just recently picked it back up about six months ago. When I cam back I added to my HTML skill set by learning XHTML.
Before I go on I must first say that I am not one of those people who advocates for using XHTML over HTML. I believe that whole argument is silly as both languages have their merits. Furthermore I don't believe XHTML will replace HTML. In fact I don't think this is a matter of belief. The W3C itself says that both languages have their purposes and neither one is being replaced as evidenced by the work being done on HTML version 5.
I chose to learn XHTML for a variety of reasons. First I wanted to make sure my code complied with standards so I chose to code this site with an XHTML Strict Doctype instead of a Transitional Doctype. I also wanted to challenge myself. Until I coded this site all my code was invalid and browsers were reading it in quirks mode. It was also important to keep the presentations separate from the content. If you look at my source code you'll see my pages don't suffer from divitus and are friendly for human reading. You'll also see that my PHP is added through includes files making my code as clean as possible. My code validates as well (This is only half true - see standards for an explanation). I'm sure there are areas where I can improve but this is the best work I've done so far.
CSS
When I was first learning HTML there was a lot of talk about this new language that basically gave you god-like powers over the presentation of your web pages. The first time I saw CSS code was in the book Creating Killer Interactive Websites which I read during a family road trip to florida back '98 or '99.
I resisted learning it for a long time choosing instead to write non-standard quirky HTML. I committed every web design sin there ever was back then. Then I began using Wordpress. I had it installed on a couple of now defunct sites (billpatrianakos.net and felixandfriends.net) and realized I wasn't content to use prewritten templates for my design. I don't like the idea of someone else out there having the same web design as me. So I had to learn CSS.
All my CSS code validates with the W3C. The only exception to this is my rounded corner solution. I'm using CSS2 on this site for browser compatibility reasons but my rounded corner solution is CSS3 based. I don't like the idea of writing hacks in order to achieve a visual effect. CSS3 will allow for rounded corners with only one line of code but until support for CSS3 is implemented Mozilla browsers and Safari have proprietary support for rounded corners. Its still one line of code (for each browser) but its a line of code that isn't valid which is why I can't wait for CSS3 to become standard.
PHP
Wordpress also got me interested in PHP. I had to learn a little bit in order to tweak my templates. Soon I wanted to develop my own blogging engine. While that never happened I was able to learn a lot and was in talks with Larry Masters of CakePHP concerning a potential job offer. While I'm not an expert with PHP I know a good amount about it. I'd say over 95% of this site's content is served up using PHP. That includes my own scripts as well as Wordpress running the blogs.
C++
I am a computer science major right now and part of my course work includes the C++ language. I'm a total beginner at it right now. I prefer programming for the web so this may be one language I don't get too deep into.
Job Experience
As I mentioned before, I've been writing markup for websites by hand since I was thirteen. Since that time I've built more sites than I can remember.
I just finished up a small project for a home based business. Right now I am a part of a web design company just starting out. I'm required to design, and code the sites we work on including setting up PHP e-commerce software and other such projects. It looks as though they want me full time so we'll see how it goes.
Freelance Work for You
Even though I've created many sites most of them are lost on the net somewhere. I know I don't have a portfolio to speak of at the moment but if you like what you see here or believe I can be of service to you feel free to email me using the link at the bottom of the page. I'm flexible in terms of hours and rates are very reasonable. The important thing for right now is the experience and building my portfolio. If there is something you need that I can't do I'll certainly let you know and do one of two things - either I'll learn it or point you in the direction of someone who can help even if it isn't me.
2009-02-25