CV: Web Design

Created with Sketch.

I’ve been designing web pages and web-based applications since 1996.Beyond HTML and CSS my current languages of choice are JavaScript, PHP, SQL and XML, though I have experience of a wide range of other relevant languages.

Download: CV [PDF] – CV (Word 97-2003 DOC)


Major Skills & Experience

General Computing Experience

  • Windows 3, 9x, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Server (since 1994)
  • Linux, UNIX (since 1997), various shells
  • Mac OS (since 1990)
  • MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), OpenOffice, PDF, Photoshop, various graphic design, audio and video editing software

Programming / Web Design

  • Best Skills & Most Recent Experience:
    • PHP, HTML, CSS 1–3, XML, Apache
    • Hand-crafted SQL, ODBC
    • Various CMS: Joomla!, WordPress
  • Also Extensive Experience:
    • Java (1997–2002), GUI design
    • Distributed computing/concurrency
    • C, C++, MFC, COM, Assembler
    • AppleScript, HyperCard
    • BASIC, Visual Basic, VBA
  • Currently Learning:
    • iPhone, Objective C, C#, ASP.NET
    • memcached, Drupal, MediaWiki
    • Some Familiarity
    • Flash, Director, Solaris, Swing, UML
    • SourceSafe, CVS, RCS, Subversion

Database

  • MS Access, SQL Server (since 1996)
  • MySQL (since 2003)
  • Some Familiarity:
  • FileMaker, 4D, Oracle, SQLite

IT Systems Management

  • Systems analysis and architecture
  • Fast/Gigabit ethernet network planning & maintenance
  • Backup planning and implementation
  • Securing systems, encryption
  • VMware (Windows, Linux, Mac), VNC

Higher Education & Work History

Sep 09 to date Updating skills

Aug 07–Aug 09 Education: MA Translation Studies, NEGST, Nairobi

  • Integrating linguistics and other study, and gaining greater depth of cross-cultural and multilingual experience

Aug 05–Aug 07 IT & Media Manager: Epaphras Trust, Glasgow (Charity)

  • New extranet, custom CMS and a completely redesigned public-facing website resulting in greatly-increased traffic
  • General IT support, training, purchasing advice, network & infrastructure building
  • Pioneering online audio, podcasting, CD & DVD creation, graphic design, small-scale publishing
  • Left at end of contract having achieved all objectives and trained others to maintain web site and systems

Aug 05–Jan 06 Part Time Sessional Youth Worker: The Safety Zone, Bargeddie

  • Planning and running evening social sessions for youth from 8–18 years with difficult social backgrounds

Late 2005 Part Time IT Demonstrator / Sales: Kodak Cameras/Printers, Glasgow & Edinburgh

  • Embedded in Comet, Dixons and Currys stores, demonstrating Kodak cameras and printer dock systems; many sales

Sep 03–Jul 05 Education: BA Theology, International Christian College, Glasgow

  • Study for personal interest

Feb 02–Aug 03 IT Manager: IFES International Office, Oxford

  • Streamlined finance IT systems in Access, SQL Server & Excel
  • Researched, built and documented new CRM/finance solution to replace old inefficient and unsuitable previous systems
  • Administered Windows 95-XP, NT4/2000 Server, Exchange Server 5.5, MS Office 97-XP, with Linux firewall and large network
  • Planned, implemented and tested improved backup strategies
  • Web design (conference registration system), multimedia CD creation
  • Left at end of contract as planned to pursue studies and return to Glasgow for family reasons.

Jan–Dec 2001 Voluntary development work, Nigeria: SIL International

  • Helped research and publish 480 page trilingual dictionary & teach national workers relevant computer skills
  • Developed Java-based cross-platform lexicography software tools, continued to learn new DTP & office programs, coping with difficult hardware and software

Aug-Dec 2000 Education: Post-graduate linguistics, SIL UK

  • Foundational linguistics, lexicography, cross-cultural communication

Aug–Sep 1999 Summer Internship: TAP (The Automation Partnership) Ltd

  • Software and documentation to integrate 3rd-party hardware into robotic system: Visual C++, COM, SourceSafe, Rational Rose (UML).

Jun–Jul 1999 Summer Internship: Cambridge Computer Science Research Centre, SRI Int.

  • GUI and file analysis tools and documentation developed using SGML, C++, Swing, Java, Solaris

1997–2000 Education: BA (2.1) Computer Science, University of Cambridge

Provided a solid, lasting theoretical foundation in crucial principles:

  • Rigorous software engineering, security, digital electronics, database, networking, language processing etc.

1996, 1997 Access/SQL Database Design: Summer Jobs, NHS (Gartnavel, Glasgow)

  • Short-term work developing custom Access-based questionnaires to improve service to Rheumatology patients
  • GUI design in MS Access / Visual Basic, linking with large SQL Databases through ODBC.

Programming & Software Development Background

Since picking up and devouring a BBC User Guide aged 9, I taught myself programming with BASIC (various dialects), 6502 Assembler, HyperCard, AppleScript, C/C++, HTML, Pascal, Visual Basic, Java before receiving formal education. Developing software for educational purposes, then other public and private institutions, my own style has developed and been refined over many years.

Other Work

Alongside study and other employment, I have worked on a number of supplementary and voluntary projects, stretching my software development and other skills.

1996 to date   —   Web Design — Charitable, personal and business clients — See portfolio below

1994 to date   —   Casual Help-desk and IT Support Work

  • Regularly fix hardware and software problems on Windows & Mac OS and install and configure systems.

1998, ’05, ‘06 Voluntary & Social Work

  • Led groups of volunteers on 3–8 week development trips to East Africa in the summers of 1998, 2005, 2006.

1990–2000 Educational Software — BBC & Mac OS

  • Developing custom simulation, role play, quiz and other education software for Scottish schools and porting legacy software from BBC to Mac OS, covering Religious Education, Science and general educational areas.

1996 Work Experience — IBM Greenock

  • A week of shadowing and coding in C (under OS/2), in the CMOS development department.

Other Interests, Awards & Skills

  • Full, clean driving license — categories B,C1,D1 (+E), FKLNP
  • Music (composing, performing) and sports (cycling, ball sports, swimming)
  • Writing: UK Young Journalist of the Year 1994 (Sight-Savers/Barclays’)
  • International: Strong cross-cultural interests having lived & worked in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria
  • Young Enterprise experience (marketing/sales/reporting) in 1995-7

Select Web Design Portfolio

I have developed new websites and redeveloped existing ones for a variety of not-for-profit/charitable organisations, educational establishments, churches and private individuals as well as for businesses. Although I designed many of these sites in their current state, please bear in mind I do not control the content.

TheTron.org — 2004 to date — Database-driven Custom CMS, Media-rich

  • Developed online audio and podcasting from 2004
  • Custom bandwidth control techniques enforce a generous fair-use policy and protect against abuse
  • Researched needs and desires for the website and produced new CSS fluid layout, database-driven website and back-end system for authenticated multiple user data entry, launched 2006
  • Currently in spare time developing e-commerce and preparing switch to an open-source CMS with custom plugins

negst-letter.rowbory.co.uk — 2008–9 — Nonprofit Newsletter for Email and Web (WordPress)

  • Designed to allow non-technical people to edit content and send newsletter to a large mailing list. Uses open source components. Currently hosted by me too.

CasaMargarida.org — 2005–2006 — Photo-rich site advertising a family business (custom CMS)

KaribuniPlace.com — 2008 — Photo-rich site advertising a family business (WordPress)

CornhillScotland.org.uk — 2005–7 — Nonprofit Educational Institution Publicity

NEGSTor.rowbory.co.uk — 2008–9 — Academic Paper Repository (WordPress)

rowbory.co.uk — 2004 to date — Personal Family and Test site

  • www.rowbory.co.uk/software contains experimental software, mostly web-based

Other non-public work:

I have developed numerous extranets and back-end systems, custom WordPress plugins and themes to support the above sites and others which I am not able to list for reasons of confidentiality.

References available on request

No Comments

Add your comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.