Profile
Hello, there! I'm Jace, a -year-old web developer from North Carolina. I've been doing web development professionally for over five years. My current goal – and my reason for creating this website – is to expand my résumé and portfolio and to showcase my skills and potentially open up new avenues for future employment.
I am skilled in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ajax, other web related resources (including MySQL and SQLite), VisualBasic, and C++; moderately skilled in Oracle and Access databases, C#, and Java; and entry level in Python, Ruby, and Swift. I work well independently and with a team. A more detailed list of my main skills can be found below.
My interest in computers actually didn't come until high school. Before that, I wanted to be a professional musician and then an architect. When I was about 16 I started really showing an interest in computer related fields; my first desire was to be a video game tester or designer. In mid-2013 I decided to make a wiki on Wikia to support my fan fiction stories, and I quickly began learning the basics of HTML and CSS.
I graduated high school in 2013 and chose to take a year off before going to college. During that time, my interest in coding really began to take off. I continued working on Wikia and in addition to HTML and CSS, I learned some basic JavaScript. In 2014, I enrolled at College of The Albemarle for a degree in computer programming. My major computer studies there included two semesters of C++ and VisualBasic, Oracle and Access databases, networking, and Android app development.
Upon graduating in 2017, I started working for Mitro Digital Marketing as a web developer. I took some courses on JavaScript and PHP through Udemy and put those skills to work on the websites I was tasked with building. To date, I have completed over a dozen websites (both from scratch and with WordPress). I've also spent the past three years coding and designing a custom CMS (which powers this website).
Since leaving Mitro in 2020, I've done a fair amount of freelance work as well as some contract work for Your WordPress Team, a company based out of Toledo. With that company, I built and maintained over a dozen different websites, the work ranging from minor CSS fixes to completely deobfuscating and rewriting back end code. I also built and helped build several websites at the company, and the preferred page builder we used was Divi.
Skills
HTML & CSS
I am proficient in both HTML and CSS. My first major web project was Federation Legacy Wiki, which required me to learn both of these. I have since made several small projects in which I've experimented with more advanced HTML and CSS.
I have even played around with some SVG and CSS animations in some personal projects, such as my upcoming "conquer the map"-esque game.
JavaScript & JS Frameworks
I initially steered away from JavaScript in my early web coding days. I played around with it a little bit on Wikia, but it wasn't until after learning some other programming languages in college and understanding how programming logic works that I dived in and began writing JS code. Upon starting my job at Mitro Digital Marketing, I taught myself how to use jQuery and began using it wherever possible in addition to vanilla JS.
One of my personal projects, a calculator, is built almost exclusively with JS. I'm also building a web-based game using React. In addition, I have intermediate skills in Node.js.
PHP & SQL
I didn't begin coding in PHP until I started working at MDM. I managed several WordPress sites that required me to learn to use various PHP functions and discover how they work. One of my early projects at MDM, Business News Grid, is built on WordPress, and most of its primary functions were built by me.
I took a couple database classes at College of The Albemarle, including Oracle and Access. Once I started working with WordPress, I began to really understand the relationship between PHP and SQL and how they can be used effectively together.
Resume
Work Experience
Get YOU Found Digital Marketing • Raleigh, NC • Sep. 2022 – present
- Developed various websites in WordPress
- Handled client communications and interactions
Freelance Web Developer
Working from home • Outer Banks, NC • Mar. 2020 – present
- Built multiple websites on WordPress using best practices
Web Developer
Mitro Digital Marketing • Kill Devil Hills, NC • May 2017 – Jan. 2020
- Built over 10 websites either from scratch or on WordPress
- Performed weekly maintenance and regular updates on no less than 10 websites
- Took Udemy courses for PHP and JavaScript shortly after starting the job
- Mastered jQuery, Ajax, SQL, and XML as projects required
- Later took courses for Git and React
- Occasionally wrote blogs and case studies for the company website
Education
A.A. in Computer ProgrammingCollege of the Albemarle • Manteo, NC / Elizabeth City, NC • Jan. 2015 – May 2017
- Maintained 4.0 GPA all five semesters
- Achieved President's List all five semesters
- Inducted to National Society of Leadership and Success
- Graduated summa cum laude
General Education
Cornerstone Academy (home school) • Harbinger, NC • Sept. 2002 – May 2013
- Maintained 3.75 GPA through most of high school
- Assisted P.E. instructor in 11th and 12th grade with younger students
Other Work
Outer Banks Jeep Rentals • Kill Devil Hills, NC • Jun. 2020 – Oct. 2021
- Managed Jeep rental reservations and cancellations
- Handled customer service tasks, including answering phone calls
Car Wash Attendant / Cashier
Kitty Hawk Car Wash / OBXpress Car Wash • Kitty Hawk, NC • Oct. 2015 – May 2017, Fall 2018, May – Nov. 2019
- Opened and closed the car wash
- Ran the cash register and counted money at the end of the day
- In charge of 1 - 3 people when the manager was not present
Carpenter's Assistant
Davis Brothers Construction • Kill Devil Hills, NC • Sept. – Dec. 2015
- Performed maintenance and remodeling on residential homes
Assistant Night Manager / Cashier
Kill Devils Frozen Custard & Beach Fries • Kill Devil Hills, NC • Apr. 2013 – Sept. 2015
- Managed the shop during night shift through the summer; in charge of 6 - 8 employees
- Ran the cash registers
- Prepared and made ice cream, fries, and sometimes worked the grill
Extracurricular Achievements
- Worked on a few personal side projects outside of school using C++, including a command-line calculator
- Obtained fundamental certifications in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, SQL, C++, Java, C#, and Swift through SoloLearn
- Received an MTA Software Fundamentals certification through College of The Albemarle in 2016
- Obtained several community service awards, including P.E. instructor's assistant at Dare Parks & Rec and musician on the praise team at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship
- Assisted in coaching a flag football team at Currituck Parks & Rec in 2009
- Designed a fan website through Weebly, mostly using site builder tools, and some minor HTML
Testimonials
"Working with Jace is a big pleasure. He is a fast growing web programmer who in just 7 months became skilled in PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML learning by himself without having any programming background. He writes well designed, testable, efficient code by using best software development practices. I am glad to have him on our MDM team."
~ Victor Rusu ~
"My company owner and I hired Jace right out of college. He has worked for Mitro Digital Marketing for a little over a year now and has shown some great advancement in his knowledge in web development, under the instruction of our senior developer. Jace knows how to follow direction and complete tasks thoroughly. He has gained a lot of patience when dealing with problematic situations and his problem-solving skills have greatly enriched. He has gained basic knowledge in onsite SEO and URL structures as well as important design and UX aspects for building a successful website. Jace is a quick learner and can adapt to situation rather quickly."
