I'm an ex-Actor turned Junior Full Stack Web Developer. Stay with me. Once I decided it was time to put acting to bed, I had one rule, it had to be for something I would love just as much; enter stage left Coding! I recently put myself through the infamously tough Makers Academy course in web development and became a new dad at the same time. I now don't require sleep and I am looking to become a Junior Developer in my favourite city and home, Newcastle. I am excited to work with a fun team on projects that we can be passionate about.
Projects | Skills | Education | Experience | Interests | stejgregory.co.uk
| Project | Summary | Technologies | Group Size | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I'm In! | A volunteering platform centered around Google maps. Users are able to post and join projects based on location and skill set. | JavaScript, MeteorJS, MongoDB, Chimp, Mocha/Chai, Google Maps API | 6 | 2 weeks |
| Boom Training | Webapp designed to connect users wanting to train together or in a bigger group. A calendar design for logging, advertising and rating training sessions. | Ruby on Rails, Javascript, HTML, SASS, RSpec/Capybara, Active Records | 6 | 1 week |
| AirBminusB | AirBnB clone to learn a basic framework and database skills | Ruby, Sinatra, RSpec/Capybara PostgreSQL | 4 | 1 week |
| ThermostatJS | A homepage for a smart thermostat controls | JavaScript, JQuery, Jasmine | 2 | 1 week |
| Yelp Clone | An introduction to rails by recreating yelp.com functionality | Ruby on Rails, RSpec/Capybara | 2 | 1 weeks |
Makers Academy has taught me to grow, test and improve my skills whilst being responsible for my own learning. Each week we were set projects that meant learning new languages, tests and frameworks to suit the user specifications. This was less about mastering a language, but teaching us to be flexible and fast, when learning a new one. Since the course I have enjoyed going to MeetUps and learning more about the buzzing Newcastle tech scene.
Having worked as an actor for several years, mainly in new writing, good communication in the theatrical process was the way to gain from everyones strengths. Creating an environment that would value team input made it easy to explore ideas and ultimately benefit the end performance. Acting is far more about listening, understanding and being invested, over jazzhands. Working in an AGILE environment at Makers allowed us to quickly create working software that was shaped by the whole team. This meant we could adapt and improve our project and be flexible to changing user features discovered through stand ups.
Obvious but true. Tech excites me. To work in the tech industry and be part of it's fast paced evolution is an honour. Creating something beautiful and user friendly is the ultimate job satisfaction, and to do it with like minded enthusiasts is a pleasure. Having demonstrated tech products in the past, I have always enjoyed interacting with good quality software that end users can feel confident and comfortable with.
- Hunger for new languages and challenges in code
- Independent learner, problem-solver, master of 'Google it!'
- OOP, TDD, SOLID, MVC
- Software Craftsmanship
- Pair Programming
- Ruby, Rails, Sinatra, HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, Bootstrap, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
- Rspec, Jasmine, Capybara, Chimp, Mocha/Chai
- The Northern Region’s Theatre Training Ensemble
- National Training Award
- Level 2 NVQ in Plumbing (Domestic)
- Level 2 Certificate in Basic Plumbing Studies
- Level 2 BTEC First Diploma in Media (Merit) - Animation
- Level 2 BTEC First Certificate in Media Animation
TRO Promotions Google Specialist (October 2014 – January 2015) Working in stores, I was an ambassador and friendly face representing Google. Most of my time was spent talking to potential customers, learning their lifestyle, and demonstrating to them how Google hardware and software can help them on a daily basis.
TED Staffing XBOX ONE Demonstrator (March 2014 – June 2014) I was positioned in store to engage customers with the experience of XBOX ONE. I worked to show them the ease, quality and power that Microsoft built into their next generation games console.
Northumbria University Ask4Help Assistant (January 2014 – June 2014) As a member of a 4 strong nightshift team, it’s was our job to run the library and IT services smoothly, and be able deal with any nature of trouble should it surface. This would span from technical issues to student welfare, meaning our knowledge between us had to match that of the 40 strong day staff.
Steve Briggs Plumbing & Heating Apprentice Plumber (September 2006 – August 2008) As an apprentice, I learnt all aspects of plumbing and skills from peripheral trades. Each day brought huge responsibility and confidence in my work, as the majority of tasks were performed individually to increase work rate. This meant being independent, resourceful and self motivated.
Northumbrian Water Scientific Sampler (September 2012 – September 2016) | Various Theatre Companies Actor (November 2012 – February 2015) | Brief Candle Theatre Drama Facilitator (January 2011 – March 2011) | Theatre & Learning Presenter (September 2010 – December 2010)
At the risk of sounding like a beauty pageant speech, my new favourite thing is spending time with my son! I recently fell into Kung Fu lessons, after volunteering to be part of the dragon for Chinese New Year in Newcastle. I love listening to podcasts, especially ones from The Verge. Bus journeys, walking the in-laws dog and doing housework are all better because of podcasts! With the help of Google and YouTube, I am willing to attempt DIY on almost anything. I still enjoy skimboarding (even though I spend most of the time airborne) and one day... one day I will learn to play the guitar I was given as a birthday present.