About me
I have over ten years professional experience of web and IT work. I graduated from the University of Plymouth with a degree in multimedia design and production. I spent a year as a new media designer and then worked as a graphic designer and web developer. I've worked as an IT engineer and also provided online marketing expertise.
I've gained several qualifications in my spare time, including Zend PHP certification and the Open University's Certificate in Web Application Development. I'm currently studying towards a Degree in Computing with the Open University, a valuable experience both in terms of learning practical skills and how to manage your time and priorities.
I'm married and I have a son, which means I don't spend all my time in front of a computer ;-)
Vital Statistics
My Open University qualifications
Degree in IT & Computing
So far I have completed programming courses in Java and Visual Basic, database theory and the SQL language and plan to complete the OU's Microsoft Server Technologies course later this year. Find out more about my progress and the modules I've studied.
Certificate in Web Application Development
An excellent course covering the entire application development lifecycle with practical experience of client and server side programming, databases and web server configuration. Read more about the course content.
What I like
I like to learn and I like to be busy. I like it when technology is used to gain a real benefit and not just for the sake of it. I'm happiest immersed in PHP and HTML but have been fortunate to work on a broad range of tasks and projects. I like working with people who are enthusiastic, focused and happy in their work.
Drag and drop to the bin
I like to use this site to play around with ideas and designs.
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Last read online
What can we learn from Kodak's demise?
"Yesterday it was confirmed that Kodak has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York; the final chapter in a long and painful fall from market dominance in the 1980s."
I'm currently reading:
I downloaded a bundle of ebooks from the Sitepoint Christmas Sale.
I'm reading Online Marketing Inside Out. Then I'll probably look at Deliver First Class Websites - 101 Essential Checklists.
Currently Studying:
I'm currently studying
Designing Applications with Visual Basic, having finished Relational Databases: Theory and Practice in October.
I'm due to start Microsoft Server Technologies in September 2012.
Degree in IT & Computing
2008 – Present
Object-oriented programming with Java
This course teaches the fundamental ideas behind the object-oriented approach to programming through the widely-used Java programming language.
Putting Java to work
This course teaches the industrial programming language Java. It provides a good grounding in many of the advanced facilities of this object-oriented language including inheritance, polymorphism, class libraries and the Java human-computer interface. It concludes with two case studies which use the full power of the language.
Relational databases: theory and practice
This advanced computing course offers perspectives on relational databases. It introduces database management systems and the facilities required to store and access large collections of data in a shared user environment. This is followed by a theory of relations, underpinning topics such as data modelling and database architecture; the database language SQL; and the development of a practical database system. Also considered are issues surrounding the on-going development and application of relational database technologies, including the role of JAVA and XML.
Designing applications with Visual Basic
This course in object-oriented programming teaches how to design and write small applications using Visual Basic Express. Software applications discussed in the course range from a very simple traffic survey application, to more complex applications that are linked to a database.
Microsoft server technologies
I'm due to start this course in September 2012. It offers a sound grounding in the fundamentals of computer networking and server technologies. It also enables students to develop the knowledge and understanding required to become an IT professional working with current Microsoft Windows server technology. On successful completion of this course students will be able to take an industry-recognised Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification examination. The OU is a Microsoft Academy and provides access to Microsoft’s e-learning curriculum.
Certificate in Web Applications Development
2006 – 2008
An Open University course that covers the web application development process, including PHP programming, database design and open source development and versioning tools.
Web applications: design, development and management
An introduction to web application design and development including usability, HTML and CSS.
Result: Distinction
The client-side of application development
Designing and developing client-based applications using JavaScript.
Result: Grade 2 pass
The server-side of application development
Exploring the role of the server in web applications and using Active Server Pages to create dynamic Web pages.
Result: Distinction
Databases within website design
This course introduces database design using ‘entity-relationship’ diagrams and the construction of queries MySQL and Cold Fusion.
Result: Grade 2 pass
Open source development tools
This course introduces the origins and aims of open source software, and its principles of software development and distribution. The course provides practical experience of CVS, PHP, MySQL and Apache.
Result: Distinction
Web server management, performance and tuning
This course explores the role of server administration and its contribution to planning, deployment, and management of a web application. It introduces tools and techniques to assist with capacity planning, monitoring of workloads, identification of performance bottlenecks, and security failures.
Result: Distinction
