{"type":"blog","id":"2015/2015-01-20-currently-looking-for-opportunities","title":"Currently Looking for Opportunities","url":"/blog/2015/2015-01-20-currently-looking-for-opportunities","summary":"I am currently open to opportunities for full-time and part-time work. Ideally with an enterprising startup or with a larger agency or internal development team.","date":"2015-01-20","tags":["Development","Work","Developers","Contribute"],"categories":["tech"],"body":"I am currently open to opportunities for full-time and part-time work. Ideally with an enterprising startup or with a larger agency or internal development team.\n\nI am keen to build my general programming skills in some of the new languages I have been learning recently. My years of experience organising user groups, training days and managing small developer teams also makes me suitable for Developer Evangelist or Documentation roles.\n\n# Why Me?\nWhilst I have been a programmer for many years, I consider myself a generalist. For a while I worried that this was a negative, but I think it is time I acknowledged it and embraced it, finding an opportunity that welcomes my broad skills and experiences.\n\nHere are some of my achievements:\n- I have been a guitarist in a band that had 4 top 40 UK singles and toured the World. Songs I helped write were named as some of the best songs of the 00s by several respected publications.\n- I have lived in three countries and in each one sought to become an active member of the community.\n- I started a charity that worked with a niche audience and was the first to do so. We received several awards and widespread media recognition.\n- I started and ran several technical meet-up groups in Melbourne and increased their membership and profile whilst involved with them.\n- I am currently working on three personal projects, all of which embrace new ideas and techniques in novel ways.\n\nI enjoy work and feel like I contribute a lot to any place or project I am involved with. I work well in teams as a member or leader and am not reluctant to contribute ideas and opinions.\n\n# What am I looking for?\n## Developer roles\nMuch of my experience has been in PHP, but as a programmer of over ten years who has at the least had exposure to other languages, I feel that I can make a go of any language thrown at me. Any gaps in my knowledge I am happy to learn and my years of practical application mean that I at least know the best way to achieve something. Needing only to ascertain how that is most effectively accomplished in a language or platform.\n\n## Developer Evangelist\nI am a technical guy, but I know how to talk to people and have plenty of experience with talking tech. Be this with developers, designers, business and marketing folk or acting as a liaison between them all. In fact this is something I love to do. One of the driving forces present in most of my working life has been figuring out ways to best explain complex topics to everyone at a level they will appreciate. One of my most memorable experiences was teaching basic computing to retirees and recent migrants. Seeing how 'real' beginners actually get to grips with a computer and how intimidated they can feel was a paradigm shift in my thinking. I'm not a sales person, but if you have a product or service that I believe in, I have a proven record in making people want to try it to.\n\n## Technical Documentation\nThis is similar to the role above in some ways, but in a more concentrated form. My experience and ability to explain technical terms at a level required, plus my experience with writing, editing and training would make me well suited to technical documentation.\n\n## Something Else\nI am always up for (and relish) a challenge. Have you got a role that you think might suit me, then [please let me know](mailto:chriswhward@gmail.com) and I will be happy to discuss.","links":[],"fields":{}}