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Mike Harper

IT Contract Developer

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Skillset

Since starting to use React I've found myself working increasingly at the front end, though I combined this with C# and ASP.Net in a recent project.

I've had a long career in development though. Since 2000 I've focused on web applications. My background is full stack. The variety of languages and technologies involved and their constant evolution keeps me interested and curious, and allows me to continually improve what I can offer users.

Front End

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I started developing for the web in 2000. I've been using JavaScript to write SPAs since I discovered AJAX! Since then I've used JQuery, Ext JS, Durandl, AngularJS, and now React, my preferred framework. I'm experimenting with NextJS - this site is built on it. Since 2019 I've mostly used TypeScript - I really like it.

  • ReactJS
  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript
  • Mobile
  • HTML 5
  • CSS 3

Back End

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My web development work started out with classic ASP, leading to ASP.Net Core using C#. I've used SQL Server since about 2000 but also worked with MongoDB and more recently RethinkDB, a real-time database. I've mainly used Entity Framework as an ORM but also NHibernate and Dapper.

  • C#
  • ASP.Net Core
  • EF
  • SQL Server
  • RethinkDB
  • MongoDB

Tooling and DevOps Related

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I develop mostly on Windows but am happy right now in Linux (I was originally from a Unix background). I edit in VSCode and Visual Studio, with Git for source control (GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket), and various CI and release management systems, for example Gitlab, TFS, Azure DevOps, Octopus Deploy. Cloud-wise I worked briefly with AWS recently, and have experimented with Azure. I have exposure to Docker and Kubernetes.

  • Windows
  • Linux
  • VSCode
  • Git
  • Azure DevOps
  • Octopus

Project and Process Related

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I'm used to working in an agile environment, sometimes based on Scrum, sometimes Kanban. By the time I join a project the client has already chosen a tool to manage it so I'm familiar with a few. I've used TFS (now Azure DevOps) off and on since 2012, Jira on and off since 2014. I'm using Shortcut now. I've also worked with Target Process and Trello.

  • Agile
  • TDD
  • Scrum
  • Kanban
  • Jira
  • Azure DevOps

Soft Skills

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People say they value my ability to fit in and make a positive contribution that complements their team's work. If I do suggest improvements I do so constructively. I'm pragmatic. I enjoy collaborating, pair programming, mentoring, presenting and (perhaps unusually) documenting! I am used to working in international teams and enjoy this.

  • Collaboration
  • Presenting
  • Communication
  • Mentoring
  • English
  • German