Bsc:Computing

I started my degree in Computing with the singular goal of using it to move into a software development career... I had enjoyed the programming in my computer science classes in High School and I thought that it would make for a good career.
What I didn't expect to find in my studies, was the enjoyment that I would derive from the non-programming subjects or the value that they would bring.

Software development is still a career path that I want to pursue, but now it is with the believe that software is the lever by which I can move the world.

In 2019, I finally completed my BSc: Computing and I am looking forward to enrolling for the honours degree to continue my formal education in addition to what I hope to learn working in the software development sector.

The modules I completed in my BSc: Computing are:

  • Techniques of Artificial Intelligence
  • Theoretical Computer Science I,II & III
  • Advanced Programming
  • Programming: Data Structures
  • Programming: Contemporary Concepts
  • Visual Programming I & II
  • Introduction to Programming I & II
  • Formal Logic II & III
  • Computer Systems: Fundamental Concepts
  • Computer Organisation
  • Computer Networks I
  • Computer Graphics
  • Operating Systems and Architecture
  • Structured Systems Analysis and Design
  • Object-Oriented Analysis
  • Introduction to Business Information Systems
  • Human-Computer Interaction I & II
  • Databases I & II
  • Database Design and Implementation
  • Advanced Systems Development
  • Software Project Management
  • Linear Algebra I
  • Introduction to Statistics

Working Experience

WebOnline

While completing my BSc, I accepted a position as a helpdesk support agent at a small shared-hosting company, WebOnline.

WebOnline places a heavy emphasis on offering excellent helpdesk support, and I have excelled in this role.
In the time that I have worked at WebOnline, I have become the person to whom my team members turn when they need a second opinion or have an issue that they can't resolve themselves. I have also been the only new hire who has been entrusted with the after-hours shift during my probation period, and since I received access credentials to all the relevant ticket management systems, server control panels and back ends, I have answered the largest number of support tickets.

I have also made a concerted effort to optimise the workflow of my team and share my knowledge and experience. WebOnline makes use of an internal company wiki as a reference and a repository for procedures and templates. In my time at WebOnline I have made more contributions to the company wiki than the next 4 largest contributors combined. From cursory examination, some of the email templates I created have been used over 200 times each, turning ticket replies that needed to be painstakingly typed out into simple copy/paste operations; saving not only an enormous amount of time, but also improving the quality of responses by removing the opportunity for errors and oversights.
Other optimisations I have brought to bear are:

  • finding an implementation for email client autoconfiguring.
  • sourcing a service module that allows support staff to unblock public IP addresses without escalating the request to a system administrator without compromising the security of the servers by sharing administrator level access with non-administrators.
  • researching and implementing a 100% effective solution to a long running issue that was being experienced with regards to customers' email not passing SPF checks
  • Creating an instant messenger group so that the support team can all be kept abreast of requests to the system administrators, avoiding repeated requests and incorrect courses of action

In 2007, I was hired at Stupel & Berman Inc as an assistant. My enthusiasm for finding and implementing solutions to problems, and my consistently high-quality work resulted in me being promoted up to a senior paralegal attending primarily to transfers of immovable property. As a senior paralegal, my passion for problem solving and a love of challenges, was rewarded by me being assigned the more unusual, complex and difficult matters.

Examples of the types of work I attended to are:

  • Private Treaty Agreements;
  • Public Auctions – both Sales in Execution and Private Seller;
  • Insolvent Estate Transfers – Individuals, Companies, and CCs;
  • Alienation of Land Act Contracts;
  • Estate Transfers, including testate & intestate inheritances, redistribution agreements, Section 45(1) endorsements, sales by the executor, and Section 18(3) Estates;
  • Divorce transfers, including foreign divorces;
  • Section 33 Transfers, i.e. transfer in terms of an order of the court;
  • Usufructs, both by retention and creation;
  • Donations;
  • Going Concerns;
  • Sub-division of land;
  • Opening of Sectional Titles;
  • Rectification transfers;
  • Applications in terms of Section 3(1)(v), 17(4), 93(1) of the DRA

Wildgear

I started working at WildGear shortly after matriculating. I was initially hired to do some maintenance on the computers. Since I had exactly zero experience as a computer technician and no training whatsoever, I summarily lost a significant amount of the company's data, which they did not have backed up or saved correctly.

After correcting for my mistake, I was asked to stay on to assist with compiling customer artwork into the necessary format for the embroidery machines, as well to perform day-to-day tasks like setting up jobs on the machines. While learning to do this, I also taught myself how to use CorelDraw.

In addition to the core business of corporate branding, the owner of the company ran a small snake park on the same premises as the branding company, so I was lucky enough to dabble (very tentatively) in snake handling

Other Skills

I enjoy discovering new things and mastering (or at least becoming proficient in) new skills. Although they may not directly influence my work, I believe that having diverse skills and interests can result in novel and worthwhile solutions.

Some examples are:

  • Graphic Design

    I picked up some graphic design skills while working at WildGear, and I have used those skills on multiple personal projects as well as earning some additional income as a freelancer.

    Sample 00 Sample 01 Sample 02 Sample 07

  • Foam Smithing

    I've only started experimenting with making props and replicas made out of EVA foam recently. My first project, a cat bed modelled after the Iron Throne was a resounding success.

  • Mechanics

    Motorbikes are fantastic things. They are fun to ride, fuel efficient, and they let you skip most traffic. They also provide far more chances for tinkering since they need more maintenance than cars and have more room for performance modification. Ever since my first motorbike, I've done almost all of my own maintenance from the simple chain cleaning and oil changes to more involved tasks like replacing fork seals and sprockets.