“Hello World” is a phrase that holds nostalgic weight in the coding world — a simple yet profound initiation into programming. While this blog isn’t my first “Hello World,” it marks a fresh chapter in sharing my journey, insights, and lessons from web development and beyond. Whether you’re a seasoned developer, a freelancer like me, or someone exploring the tech world, welcome to a space where I hope to inspire, inform, and engage.
My journey into web development has been anything but linear. I spent over two decades at Cadent Gas (National Grid or Transco as it was previously known), where I grew from operational roles to becoming a SAP HANA and BW4/HANA developer. During this time, I embraces the power of using technology to solve real-world problems, like building a plant equipment management app that saved the company £1.2 million in under a year on an £8.5 million contract, or creating a performance dashboard that helped improve operational efficiency by by up to 30%.
Before stepping into the world of professional development, my journey started in South Wales, where I grew up. I moved to the Midlands to study engineering but there were some physical barriers that meant that was not going to be the thing for me so I reevaluated my future and tuned to technology, something that went back as far as my first computer, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Pivoting to study IT was a turning point — it’s where I built my first affiliate website and experiencing what it meant to create something entirely of my own on the web. It was shortly after this that I joined what was then Transco and took a break from web development for a while but my curiosity did not end there and is when I explored ideas that all started with just streamlining processes and reducing the need to complete repetitive tasks that could be automated, which lead onto those bigger accomplishments.
In 2023, redundancy brought in opportunities. It was the push I needed to start Ncodein, my own web design and development business based here, in sunny Earl Shilton… in fairness I had started Ncodein 8 years prior but work commitments meant that it never really got off the ground. Running my own business has been as challenging as it is rewarding. I’ve had the chance to combine my technical expertise with creative design, helping clients bring their visions to life. While freelancing has been an a great experience, it has also prompted me to seek the stability and opportunities for growth that come with full-time employment. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter as I aim to rejoin the workforce as a full-time web developer.
Through this blog, I’ll dive into topics that have shaped my career and continue to fuel my curiosity. While JavaScript, Node.js, and React remain my primary focus, I’ve also dabbled in Svelte and have had experience with PHP in the past, which is where my real web development journey began. More recently, I’ve delved into WordPress development, demonstrating my flexibility in adapting to client needs. You can expect discussions about web development best practices, explorations of tools like Docker and WordPress, and reflections on lessons learned from freelancing, as well as my experiences in business looking at subjects like leadership and project management.
Amongst all the talk of coding, tech and business, there will also be a healthy dose of those personal stories we do all this to enjoy. I heard Sundar Pishai once say “Find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life”, though I actually think it was Mark Twain that first said it. Regardless of who said it, as nice a thought as it is, the fact is we all work to live, not live to work and so, whether it be a banger of a recipe I tried on the weekend, an opportunity to take some great photos or a story about my lunatic of a Labrador, Bentley, I will try and keep things grounded as a reminder as to why we do this. Your drivers might be different to mine but we all have those reasons to get up out of bed each morning, put our suit on (metaphorically speaking) and go do what we do.
So, what can you expect from this blog? A mix of technical deep-dives, personal stories, and reflections on navigating the world of web development. Whether it’s tips for mastering React, lessons learned from freelancing, or musings on balancing work and play, I hope to provide something valuable for anyone who stumbles across these posts.
One question you might have, is why, if you are a web developer, have I chosen to use Medium instead of building my own Blog? Well it’s true I could but I want this to be about documenting the journey I am on and not be the journey itself. It is something I may tackle as a way of showcasing my work and if I do that, I will of course document it here in this blog but for now why reinvent the wheel when this one is a perfectly fine wheel… which reminds me of one my favourite visualisations of a problem, we all sometimes face in and out of work, taking time to improve and grow and not remain stagnant, failing while trying the same things over and over, something I will talk about in a future post about my venture into the world of Agile Development Methodologies… exciting times hey!
I’d love to hear from you, too. What challenges are you facing in your projects? What inspires you to keep pushing forward? Drop a comment, share your story, or just say hello. Let’s make this space not just about my journey but about ours.