NICK THOMPSON

FULL STACK DEVELOPER

Over the past 2-3 years I have followed my long-term passion and focused my career on application development and becoming a software engineer. I am currently working mostly with Python, Django and SQL to deliver web applications but have experience with C# and .NET to deliver desktop and tablet applications.

I am passionate about all aspects of technology and have delivered an extensive range of commercial and public sector projects, as project lead and practitioner. I am an enthusiastic, hard-working and proactive individual, who takes on each task with a positive attitude and can-do approach. I have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, working autonomously as well as in a team.

One of my biggest strengths is to interpret client requirements, engage stakeholders and explain technical issues in a clear concise way to achieve results quickly. I have a passion for learning, and look for opportunities to further my personal development, both inside and outside of the workplace.

Professional Experience

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ICT Officer (Developer)

Cleveland Fire Brigade | 2016 - Present

Design and implement new and existing software solutions, API integration, web, desktop and tablet app development using Python, HTML, CSS, C# and .NET
Contribute to code management, development, testing and implementation of software using Azure DevOps and GIT.
Attend weekly Scrum and milestone meetings.
Lead on and participate in code reviews where required.
Data processing, transmission, storage and retrieval using Microsoft SQL server, SQLite, JSON and REST API’s
Deployment and maintenance of virtual server environments and cloud platforms including backups and storage using Hyper-V, Azure App Services, Azure Virtual servers and AWS EC2 instances.
Provide 24x7 support and administration of the ICT infrastructure, critical systems, mobilisation, incident command and communications network.

Freelance ICT Engineer & Consultant

NT Solutions | 2004 - 2016

Consulting and implementing solutions for local small to medium businesses

Advising clients on the best way to improve their business processes
Providing help and advice on network security and hardware
Expert support for business-critical systems
Server, Laptop and Desktop upgrades and repairs
Server installations, email, file storage and backup solutions
Firewalls, routing, LAN/WAN design, implementation and support

Robotics Engineer

Labman Automation | 2013 - 2015

Labman design, manufacture and maintain bespoke robotic automation systems to a global client base.

Design and maintenance of the corporate website
Contributing to the maintenance of the company inventory systems
Analytical reporting and documentation using the ISO 9001 framework
Implementation of C++/C# code into core robot OS functionality
Assembly of robotic components, microelectronics, software development and implementation
Design and production of video and graphics for sales material

IT Administrator

Fairfield Industries | 2003 - 2004

Online and on location auctioneer and machine tool merchant, selling to UK and European clients

Primary IT support for the auction company
Corporate website design and maintenance
Online auction website development
Stock list and inventory maintenance
Physical set up of IT/AV equipment for outcry auctions throughout the UK and Europe.

Sales Assistant

Gamestation | 2002 - 2003

Video Game Store

Assisting customers with purchases and recommendations
Point of sale
Handling transactions
Stock taking

IT Technician

Network Solutions (UK) Ltd | 2000 - 2002

A complete service provider for networks, security and internet solutions.

Installation and maintenance of network hardware
TCP/IP network and data cabling
Windows desktop and server support
Design and implementation of security endpoints, firewalls and routers

Past Projects

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SERVICE DESK

PYTHON, DJANGO, SQL, HTML, CSS

Fully encrypted password, inventory and service desk ticket web application.

Secure password generation based on dictionary keywords
Stores encrypted passwords for data systems
Create inventory items, notes and change logs
Create and manage service desk tickets, email customers and monitor SLA's
Email notifications for updates, tickets overdue or job assignment

RISK INFO SYNC APPLICATION

C#, SHAREPOINT, XML, SQL

Full automation of risk documents delivering critical risk data to front line appliances.

Consumes SharePoint library utilising C# Client Side Object Manager (CSOM)
SQL query to obtain encrypted Risk Data files and converted to PDF on the fly
Delta copies held in memory, compared to local copies using C# file stream
Automated delivery over Wifi to Fire appliances (Delta Copy script)
Log files created for performance monitoring and fault finding
Error handling, email notifications and daily scheduled reporting

DEPLOYMENT DASHBOARD

PYTHON, DJANGO, SQL

Performance dashboard to monitor successful delivery of risk data to fire appliances.

Google Charts API for analysis data, variables passed from Django backend
SQL reporting query to pole SQL replication status for devices
Txt log file parsing and data extraction to establish file sync status
Time delta calculations to alert out of sync devices

PERFORMANCE WEB PORTAL

PYTHON, DJANGO, CSV, CSS, HTML

Web portal to display performance figures for data processed from importing CSV files into the web application.

Secure website login
CSV upload and python parsing into Django ORM models
Conditional formatting of data depending on percentage increase/decrease
Responsive design for a range of desktop and mobile devices

COMMERCIAL WEBSITES

PYTHON, DJANGO, BOOTSTRAP, CSS, HTML, JAVASCRIPT, MYSQL

Number of database driven commercial websites in a range of sectors.

MySql, SQLite, MS SQL - Databases for storing and retrieving dynamic web content
HTML and CSS front ends using custom designs and Bootstrap frameworks
MVC Workflows, Template based UI with Django/Flask backend
AWS Web hosting for clients, maintenance and backups and data management
Responsive design for a range of desktop and mobile devices

Education & Certification

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CS50 Programming with Python

Harvard University via Edx.org | 2022 - 100% Pass

Fundamentals
Exceptions
Libraries
Unit Tests
File I/O
RegEx
Object Oriented Python

Online Certification

LFS101X Introduction to Linux

LINUX Foundation via Edx.org | 2014 - 100% Pass

Course Outline:

A good working knowledge of Linux
How to navigate through major Linux distributions
System configurations and graphical interface of Linux
Basic command line operations
Common applications of Linux

Online Certification

Web Programming, Python and JavaScript

Harvard University via Edx.org | Current

HTML / CSS
Python
Django and Flask
SQL, Models and Migrations
JavaScript
User Interfaces
Testing CI/CD
Scalability and Security

GCSE's Grades B and C

Nunthorpe Secondary School | 2000

English
Maths
Science

Skills & Interests

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Programming Languages

Python
HTML
CSS
JavaScript
C# / WPF / XAML

Tools & Frameworks

Django/Flask
Bootstrap
SQL
Github
JSON/API

Infrastructure

Linux (Ubuntu)
Windows Server
Cloud Solutions (AWS/Azure)
LAMP Stack
TCP/IP, Networking, Routing and Firewalls

Interests and Personal Projects

I spend a lot of my free time learning new skills, expanding my interest in game development, electronics, science and all things tech!

I enjoy experimenting with and learning different game engines and have used Unity, PyGame and GoDot to make small indie games.

Sibling Switch

Built in Unity and C#. A puzzle game where you play as two siblings who have to work together to move blocks to the end goal. It was particularly fun to learn how to draw pixel art and animate the characters.

Video

Asteroids Clone

This was my first game project in PyGame and I wanted to recreate an arcade classic. Combining my love for python with designing a game made this project simple but fun to work on especially the geometry elements.

Video

Bingo Caller

Written in PyGame, a simple Bingo caller which allows players to play a long with a traditional bingo card. This project made use of the Google text to voice API which allowed me pragmatically generate the bingo number call-outs.

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Redguy - 2D Platformer

Using Unity and some purchased assets, this was my first Unity game. Learning how to code a 2D platform game was challenging but enjoyable and using the purchased assets introduced me to the basics while giving the game a good look.

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