Below is a timeline of my journey through IT and Tech in reverse chronological order starting at Primary School
Recently I have been expanding my JavaScript skill set in preparation for applying for front end web development roles.
In my free time I began coding a personal project EverythingChester.co.uk to expand and showcase my front end web development skills as well as advance my SEO, digital marketing and holistic online knowledge.
Recently I have focused on aquiring new JavaScript Skills and updating this home page, however I am looking forward to upgrading Everything Chester; replacing the iFrames, RSS feed widgets and other plugins using my JS, AJAX and API knowledge, as well capitalising on fresh keyword research.
You can find out more about EverythingChester.co.uk here.
I became an Ecommerce Executive At Ralawise where I was primarily responsible for their White Lable WebShop (YourWebShop) product.
You can find further details of my roles and responsibilities here.
I became a co-organiser of CodeUp Chester, a drop in and mentoring program for adults to learn how to code and programme.
To stay current on emerging technologies I also monthly attend Chester Dev's and Chester SEO & Digital Marketing Meetup.
I held my first 1st line technical support role at In-Site Software, The UK's Number 1 Software for Park Management & Bookings.
Here I troubleshooted customer problems using the Fresh Desk Ticketing System.
I volunteered at Double Click Design & Print where I utlised and extended my graphic design skills.
● InDesign, Photoshop & Dreamweaver
● Design business cards, logos, posters and menus
I graduated with distinction from the University of Liverpool with an MRes in Post Genomic Science, providing me with Advanced Research Skills and the practical ability to Creatively Solve Problems.
The Programming For Life Sciences Module taught the use of the Perl scripting language for use in data-intensive research and bioinformatics tasks.
Lectures, workshops and assignments covered Perl scripting, data structures, variables, strings, conditionals, arrays, hashes, looping structures, subroutines, command line arguments, regular expressions, manipulating files, file input/output (IO - Fasta files), using Perl to control the running of external programs (such as BLAST) and Perl web programming.
Object-oriented programming (OOP), designing and building relational databases (MySQL) and BioPerl modules where also introduced.
Other modules covered the use of informatics in the biological sciences including technical grounding in bioinformatics related topics such as genomics, proteomics, sequence alignment (programs & algorithms), sequence analysis, phylogenetics, the modelling of proteins & pathways and systems biology.
We used various web based bioinformatics tools, services & techniques and a wide variety of biological databases to address real-world analytical tasks and current research questions.
The research project provided advanced research training in high level analytical and reasoning skills allowing me to plan, design, perform and present an original piece of scientific research.
My project “An Integrated Approach to Function Annotation in the Histidine Phosphatase Superfamily” involved using various Bioinformatics techniques to functionally annotate members of a protein superfamily, including the collection of sequences from public databases using the iterative search program “Jackhmmer”, detecting “clusters” using CLANS for a “neural network based approach”, STRING to visualise genomic context and 3D homology modelling & small molecule docking using RosettaCM.
I was trained as a Digital Champion for Get Online Wrexham Flintshire, part of an overall Digital Inclusion Strategy from the Welsh Government.
My role was to help deliver sessions, teaching computer skills.
The aim of the project is to address the digital divide in Wales, supporting people to break down the barriers to engage them with technology, get online and make the most of the internet.
I volunteered my Web Design Skills to the Charity Save The Family for their Gateways Project at Plas Bellin Hall.
I worked with young people who have been touched by homelessness, helping them design and build a website for the project using the CMS Weebly.
My role was to consult the group and oversee the websites development, where the design, layout, content and decisions where ultimately the young peoples.
I became an IT Recruitment Consultant filling development contractor vacancies, from Back End Database Developers to Front End Graphic Designer roles.
I was responsible for managing the entire end to end recruitment process from requirement gathering to closing pieces of business.
While this was primarily a sales role making use of my interpersonal, verbal communication and negotiation skills, it also exposed me to the development life cycle and the wide range of technologies and languages used throughout industry.
In preparation for my Undergraduate Degree I purchased my first laptop computer. It was put to good use as I developed my IT Skill Set further in modules like QBIT (Quantitative Biology & Information Technology).
Throughout my assignments I regularly utilised word processing, spreadsheet, statistical analysis and presentation software and became familiar with database creation, searching and management.
I was also introduced to HTML and file management making webpages using Microsoft FrontPage.
I processed and analysed images and created complex vector graphics, leading to the preparation of biological drawings.
The culmination of my developing skills where showcased in my final year project.
By secondary school I was competent at loading, saving and printing my work. I would research assignments and projects using CD-ROMS like Encyclopeadia Britannica. GCSE ICT classes saw me successfully create, search, sort and merge databases.
For my final year coursework I spent a lot of my free time researching and working on my project. I designed and created a reusable secure system for managing school drama productions. It contained a data capture form, actors database, organised seating arrangements and printed tickets, flyers and posters. The project was assessed on its analysis, design, implementation, testing, evaluation and user guide. I was proud to received an overall A* Grade.
At home we moved on to a Desktop Windows PC with dial up internet. I would play around with my own mini projects making comedy disks and information CDs. I created Excel workbooks with functions to calculate my pocket money spending.
I would make and download new objects, skins and patches for games like The Sims, effectively creating my own expansion packs. I even enjoyed poking around in the files of freeware games pasting my friends faces on to the characters, so you could play as them in the story.
I would also play around with Ring Tone Text Transfer Language (RTTTL) to transfer ringtones to my Nokia 3310. I'd find the code for my favourite songs online and type it into my phone, and play around creating my own strings.
Those years also housed my first exposure to creating web pages and I thoroughly enjoyed creating my own home page using the GeoCities webhosting service.
My first memory of ICT is the early 90's primary school computer. Personal computers where new and mysterious back then and teachers were far more at home with a blackboard than a keyboard. There was just the one machine for the entire class. We didnt have formal computer lessons, but would wait our turn to dress a teddy bear on screen.
Later in Junior School I got the chance to experiment with the Roamer Robot. It provideed an engaging way of exploring directions and cause & effect through ICT exploring programming, control technology and maths. You could program a roamer with a keypad and then watch it roll around the corridors. You could even stick a pencil in it and it would draw where it had travelled.
For Christmas in the mid 90's my parents invested in our first family personal computer the Amiga by Commodore. The Operating System was AmigaDOS and the GUI was called Workbench. It came with a wide range of games and creative software for me to play around with. I would spend hours experimenting with Deluxe Paint IV AGA (2D Image and Animation Editor) and Wordworth (Word Processor).