Full stack Umbraco developer

The Modern .NET Core Show

I produce, record, and host two podcasts (and co-host a third) covering several topics. This requires me to plan topics, schedule time to record them, arrange for interviews and guests, and produce and maintain several web applications for them.

The .NET Core podcast (https://dotnetcore.show) covers a wide range of topics related to the "core" technologies, interview prominent community members and reached an engaged audience in the tens of thousands - see https://dotnetcore.show/press-kit/ for the latest audience statistics.

Tabs & Spaces is a podcast which presents a "pub chat"-like conversation. The three hosts (Zac Braddy, James Studdart, and myself) talk about the aspects of software development that aren't as technology-specific. Previous topics have been: interviewing, office politics, the lies that we tell to ourselves and others, whether you should learn the latest technologies, etc.

The Waffling Taylors podcast is a podcast about video gaming, the industry around it, and some of the developers who are changing how we experience video games (and related entertainment) daily. It has been a long-held belief for mine that video game development can be one of the most challenging arenas for developers to work in, and my interviews for this show prove it as they get to the details of what it is like to be a games developer in the 21st century.

Producer and Host

Williams F1

I was engaged by Williams Racing to work solo on a project which had encountered a number of serious challenges in relation to both code quality and release cadence. The code base for this project was first written almost half a decade prior to my working on it, and had no test coverage; this meant that the long change history was done with almost no assurance that changes wouldn't cause regressions or failures in other areas.

At the start of my time working alongside Williams Racing, I was tasked with getting to grips with the code base - one that very few engineers in the business knew much about. I spent some time documenting how the code worked, adding integration tests for known good inputs and expected outputs, and adding metrics and logging to the project. The metrics and logging were almost as important as the tests and documentation, as there was almost no visibility into which areas of the code base were being used.

"Code which isn't exercised should be exorcised." - Chris Zimmerman of Sucker Punch.

.NET Development Expert

Servita

I was engaged by Servita to augment their existing team on a project which had encountered a number of serious challenges in relation to both code-quality and release cadence. The code base for this project was purchased from a previous supplier, and required reviewing and getting into a running state before any other work could be completed.

At the start of my time working alongside Servita on this project, the code base was not in a running state, and I was the only engineer on the project. I was required to get to grips with a large, complex code base (around 50,000 lines), provide a review of the quality, and get it in a running state within days - which I achieved.

After getting the code base in a running state, my aim was to build a stable DevOps pipeline for the project. This would allow for greatly increase velocity for delivering new features as they were added.

I was also tasked with double-checking the quality of the code that other engineers were providing. This required careful, considerate communication with the other engineers, providing constructive feedback as I went.

Consultant

Packt publishing

I was one of the technical reviewers for Modern Distributed Tracing in .NET, a book which focusses on Open Telemetry and modern .NET, published by Packt.

My work as a technical reviewer has required me to read through chapters of each book and provide feedback on:

- Clarity of the topic being discussed
- Correctness of code samples
- Correctness of technical points raised
- What the reader will learn
- Whether there are points which are not covered in the text

This is a demanding, yet very rewarding position to be in. It requires my communications skills to be at their best, and for me to focus on the correctness and clarity of the technical content.

Although there was one other technical reviewer, I was in charge of reviewing the content in chapters 7 through to 15 - the second half of the book.

Technical Reviewership

I was one of the technical reviewers for the book "Event-driven Microservices Architecture in .NET 7", published by Packt.

My work as a technical reviewer has required me to read through chapters of each book and provide feedback on:

- Clarity of the topic being discussed
- Correctness of code samples
- Correctness of technical points raised
- What the reader will learn
- Whether there are points which are not covered in the text

This is a demanding, yet very rewarding position to be in. It requires my communications skills to be at their best, and for me to focus on the correctness and clarity of the technical content.

Although there was one other technical reviewer, I was in charge of reviewing the content in chapters 5 through to 13 - the majority of the middle of the book.

Odondo

I was engaged by Odondo to join a small team of contractors whose focus was on building onto and maintaining an agency-built Python and React-based application suite.

The application suite required some new features to be added before an in-house team could take over its development and maintenance. This required me to build out several new Web API features (using Python), work with Postgres databases, and build out React-based components (using Atomic design patterns).

The additions to and maintainance of the code base that I worked on where built entirely using Domain-driven Design (requiring a deep understanding on the domain problem that each feature would solve), and Test-driven Development. This ensured that the features I shipped could be relied upon when it was released into the wild.

Logtrade

LogTrade engaged my services to aid in building and maintaining their Internet of Logistics project as I have a proven background in shipping .NET-based solutions and my ability to quickly get a detailed understanding of a project.

I was tasked with the following goals:

- Replace an inefficiently implemented API test framework, written in Python using Robot Framework
- Build an MVP product which would allow their IoL system to create and manage smart contracts, using the latest in .NET technologies
 -Implement an entirely new React application which would be added to an existing suite of React applications

I also consulted on the start of a project which would use GraphQL to allow their clients and customers to utilise their APIs with much more ease. During my time working alongside LogTrade, it was decided that the GraphQL project would be temporarily shelved.

Disruptive Global Logistics Project

SAGE

SAGE Publishing engaged me on a contract to build an MVP for a data-mining application for their entire corpus of published literature.

The project consisted of working alongside a React developer and a data scientist to build a WebAPI project (using .NET Core 3.0). This Web API was hosted within a multi-application docker compose based application network with both the React application and a Python execution engine.

Working with the React developer, we created a system which allowed the user to drag and drop components which represented data science operations to build up a script to run on a sub-set of the SAGE Publising literary corpora.

Disruptive Social Sciences Project

Full stack development in a range of technologies

Full stack software engineer

Apple

•	Involved in day-to-day hands-on coding of the Pricing Portal applications using Angular at 70% and ReactJS at 30% capacity for front-end web development and integrating with REST API.
•	Maintained and managed TDD and BDD for projects using Jasmine and Karma for unit testing and Cypress for end-to-end testing. 
•	Led the engineering team into successful deliveries of the product by constantly monitoring the codebase, code reviews and performance of both the application and the team. 
•	Architectured and developed webpages flexible to a wide array of browsers and viewports.
•	Involved in day-to-day collaboration with the business teams and turned expectations into requirements, then working closely with the design leads and product owners to create wireframes, UX and prioritise, groom, commit, and deliver releases by monitoring, mentoring, and leading the development team into numerous milestones.

Pricing Portal

Visa Inc.

•	Designed and developed dynamic web pages using HTML5, Bootstrap, materialize CSS, ReactJS and Redux and Flux.
•	Delivered enterprise consumer faced web application called “Visa Checkout” and created SDK form for merchant integrations.
•	Used HTML5 functionalities such as Local Storage, Web Sockets and Canvas.
•	Worked extensively on implementing web accessibility standards (WAI-ARIA).
•	Worked on implementing Google tags for analytics using GTM

Sr.Software Engineer

Paypal

•	Developed dynamic web pages using HTML5, JavaScript, React JS and Node JS.
•	Automated the entire Functional testing of project through Node based framework Nemo.JS


Miappi

Responsible for Miappi dashboard, SDK integration and admin panel development and maintenance. 

Senior Frontend Engineer

Issuu

- Worked on ISSUU frontend reader using React, redux
- Responsible for handling and innovating ads on the page using Google Ad Manager and Google Tag Manager

Reader technology

Aurionpro

Designed wireframes/ UX and developed UI for digital security of enterprise application using HTML, CSS and JS and handled BE using C# and ASP.NET

Software engineer

Web development, UI development, Full Stack web development

Verbera

iOS and Android apps to measure and compare voice characteristics including depth. Developed in Xamarin. Built and deployed using App Center.

Vocular

Cloud Architecture & Development Services

Full-stack Development (frontend oriented)

Python

Javascript Development

PTFS Europe

Responsible for both greenfield development projects and enhancements to existing codebases.
Lead developer on substantial projects that resulted in significant market growth for the company.

Achievements:
Designed and developed a real-time Enquiry Management System, six month project. Worked closely with all stakeholders during structural planning of the project, and continued during development resulting in a deliverable that met all requirements. Addition of the system to the company portfolio opened up entirely new sectors, enabling significant growth of customer base.
Key technologies: React, Redux, JavaScript, React Testing Library
https://github.com/stars/AndrewIsh/lists/enquiry-management-system

Led development on a year-long project to take an existing large microservice-based codebase and provide substantial new functionality to an existing product that was not, prior to the project, ready for the UK market. Being an OSS application, the development involved multiple developers across multiple organisations. Provided value to the team by supplying guidance and mentorship to other developers unfamiliar with the domain, performed structural planning of, and oversaw development of, interacting microservices to guarantee coherence and ensured development adhered to stakeholders requirements throughout. Addition of the functionality enabled the company to sell the product in the UK, resulting in substantial increase in customer base in previously untapped markets.
Key technologies: React, Redux, TypeScript, JavaScript, React Testing Library
https://github.com/stars/AndrewIsh/lists/folio-ill 

Led frontend development on a year-long project to create an entirely new system for managing academic reading lists including integration with many third party systems. Development required my close liaison with the backend team to ensure a coherent overall result. Constant back and forth between both teams throughout the entirety of the project ensured smooth development at both ends. After achieving great success within the company customer base, the product was subsequently purchased by the UK’s leading personal learning platform.
Key technologies: JavaScript, TypeScript, AngularJS
https://www.kortext.com/keylinks/

Senior Software Engineer

Aberystwyth University

Responsible for staff and customer facing application development
Developed functional extensions of existing internal and third party applications

Achievements:
Designed and developed a web application to enable users to book and pay for items and services online. This replaced the long standing manual system which required users to physically pay in person. This development led to an almost immediate 800% increase in service bookings and item sales, this continued to grow over time.

Created numerous enhancements to existing internal and external systems. These enhancements were largely improvements to user experience, using existing platform APIs to create new, contemporary user interfaces that met modern user expectations.

Web Application Developer

Front end web application development

Public Sector Company

Sedex

Developing B2B web app to enable supply chain companies to do business in ethical way 

Expert, freelance Vue.js engineers