The Full Package

Not Just a Programmer

Many a computer programmer will tell you that the job is all about the technical skills. I believe they could not be more wrong. To be sure, technical skills and product knowledge are very important. With knowledge comes improvement in development speed, product quality and confidence. However there is much more to being a computer professional. There is a lifecycle that moves from conversation, through implementation, to support. A professional will know every phase of that lifecycle, and will do it well.

It all starts with respectful partnership with the client and other team members, technical or otherwise. Needs must be carefully assessed and agreed to, and solutions well thought out and carefully designed. The programmer must not only think of getting the job done, but of creating software that is stable, always with a thought to the maintenance, and possible future enhancement, of that software. The software should also suit the client's needs. Wherever required, and possible, documentation should be produced that gives the client full ownership of the software and facilitates maintenance. And every step of the way quality and professionalism are paramount. Above all, a professional is always partner, but a partner whose job is to work together to realize the client's vision, not their own.

This is my philosophy. I'm not just a coder. I'm thinking about every aspect of your needs and giving you a well rounded approach in all departments. I've been in this industry almost two decades and have worked as a contractor on a wide range of projects. I've worked on every phase of the development cycle, working alone, or in a team, depending on what was required. I am comfortable leading a team and following another's lead. I'm flexible and my objective is always to do the job as well as possible.

Further, I believe in being honest with both clients and team mates, while accepting that the final decision is often not mine to make. I believe in freely sharing knowledge with teammates, as I believe that this approach is contagious and enriches everyone on the team, to a far greater degree than working alone. I despise the hoarding of technical knowledge for political power and forcing oneself to be irreplaceable, simply by denying others knowledge. If I am to be irreplaceable at all I want it to be because of the exceptional quality of work I provide, and because I am a positive member of the team, and not because of any kind of politics or negativity.

Finally, I believe that professionalism starts with having pride in one's work and always striving to be better, in every way.

Plans For This Web Page

I intend for this web page to highlight the technical and interactive skills I can offer. I will also be continually adding content to the site in such a way as to showcase my growing web software development skills in PHP, MySQL, Drupal, Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and anything else that fills an important development need.

The overarching design for this web page was done by the incomparable Theresa Pridemore, director of Pridemore Design. This is an initial design that she will be enhancing for me.