alexward.codes

About Me

Being driven by a passion for picking up new skills, new information and deciding how best to implement it, I transitioned from a career in translation into software engineering, and what I've found since then is a whole world of opportunities to do what I love most - to learn, to collaborate, and to create.

I love collaborating with a team of devs to build and test new features, building out components that anticipate technical and business needs while liaising with client-facing stakeholders. Working together and communicating well is the key to great development, so I'm always rubber ducking with the team to talk through challenges, sharing ideas and solutions with teammates, and iterating through code to make it as lean and high-performing as possible. I've found it's crucial to proactively skill up on new technologies and the latest updates so I'm always up-to-speed, and I always share what I learn.

As a software engineer, I have a good eye for detail, efficient time management skills, and an open and friendly communication style. Coupled with a passion for writing code that meets the needs of clients and businesses in the most elegant way possible, I'm always learning and improving.

But I'm not content with simply meeting those needs: I aim to exceed them.

My Skills

TypeScript

JavaScript

React.js

Node.js

Express.js

Jest

Cypress

Playwright

Sonar Qube

jQuery

HTML

CSS

Python

Django

MongoDB

PostgreSQL

SQL

Bootstrap

VSCode

Git

GitHub

My Experience

Cappfinity

Mar 2023 - Present

Cappfinity is a leader in talent management and acquisition when it comes to candidate assessments. As part of a close-knit team working primarily on the frontend, I handle a range of tickets that include maintenance for multiple client sites, implementing client amends and new designs from our Creative team, refactoring, fixing bugs, and testing our components. Liaising with our backend teams and client-facing colleagues, I help to build new applications that meet the changing needs of our clients.

General Assembly

Aug 2022 - Nov 2022

This was a 3-month course offered by General Assembly - a leading provider of tech industry training - where I learned the fundamentals of software engineering in order to build full-stack applications both on my own and in groups. I did daily labs and homework assignments to practice what we learned in class, and had regular standups with other students on the course. I built and deployed one solo project and 3 group projects to demonstrate my new skills in full-stack development.

Translator

Jun 2012 - Jul 2022

As a translator and proofreader of 10 years, I handled a wide range of projects for a diverse portfolio of clients. Specialising primarily in games translation and finance, I became highly efficient at managing projects while delivering top-quality translations - from board reports and annual financial statements to game UI, dialogue, and university dissertations, I developed a keen eye for detail, time planning and prioritising tasks. The skills I learned during this time stand me in good stead as an engineer.