I'm a former Systems Administrator/ Engineer turned Web Developer with over three years of experience building websites that utilize Joomla technologies. Last year I completed the awesome Full-Stack Web Immersive program operated by BitMaker Labs. The bootcamp exposed me to a myriad of disciplines, notably Ruby on Rails, Python, HTML/ CSS/ JS and jQuery, along with various front-end frameworks and methodologies. I have an interest in machine learning, however, I am currently pursuing becoming proficient in the skills needed to have a better understanding of applicable programatic concepts before taking the plunge. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about various cultures and experiences...oh and I love coffee so feel free to reach out!
My philosophy can accurately be defined by my favourite quote by Aristotle: “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution..."
Growing up I've always heard of the legendary tales of Canadian generosity but I have never experienced it first hand until late August 2017. My wife and I were finalizing our migration to Canada and I did a random Google search for 'Web Development in Ottawa'. Surely I was met with quite a few results but... 'Baytek - Ottawa Web Design & Branding' stood out. I looked at their website and thought 'meh why not', so I decided to click the connect menu item and send a random cold email. Three months later, Chad Sehn replied. He apologized for the delayed response and a requested we chat and get to know each other.
Fast forward a few months, who knew form this unlikely beginning a new friendship would have formed. From coat/ boots shopping in preparation for the cold Ottawa winter that was soon approaching, to inviting me to his home for dinner, our interactions have been nothing short of the stereotypical Canadian kindness.
At the time of writing this I am heading into my forth month at the company, the culture and group of people at the office are all just amazing. They truly make me feel like I am a part of their family. Let's see where this goes!
I developed quite a few websites to this point. However, when I was approached by the founder of Offshore Sharing to assist in shaping the landscape of his company I was very excited. I was tasked with the opportunity to not only develop the website but also a mobile application. The site was completed in a relatively short space of time and I thought this would be a pretty sweet deal, then the mobile application development began. There were 'ups' there were 'downs' but all in all the experience and friendships gained in the creation of not just web and mobile applications, but also conceptualizing and delivering the operational framework to be used, proved to be truly invaluable. Alas, all good things must come to an end, misconceptions on my part with respect to expecting items promised to be delivered caused my 'premature' exit from the company. It was one heck of a year though....we live, we learn, we grow...on to the next project!
This job afforded me a change in "lifestyle" due to the consultancy approach to employment. This means I am deployed at various customers locations for a specific period in order to fulfill the requirements of a project. Once the project has been completed, I have the freedom to take time away from work or to just continue onto another customer project. My first project with the company was being a part of the Chili Deployment Team at BP (British Petroleum) in Trinidad and Tobago.
After my trip to Toronto, Saskatoon, New York and Philadelphia in early March/ April I was convinced software engineering is the field for me. However, with wedding bells in the not too distant future a stable job was necessary. I decided to go back to my "roots" and work as a systems engineer whilst honing my web development skills and ultimately landing my superstar developer position.
This story is a long one but i'll try to summarize. A little over eight years ago I delved into the dark world of MMORPGs, specifically Lineage II . It was phase, it was fun while it lasted, it took up HUGE amounts of time. As I got older there was no longer time for such things however, in playing the game I met this friendly orc (a race in the game) named Teryx, later to discover he's a 6ft+ Canadian MMA fighting teddybear Viking known as Frank Collins. We became friends and after years (no it's not an exaggeration) I finally convinced him to contract some web development to me. Although we've never met in person, we have a somewhat great rapport as we shared many common interests. In March of 2015 I decided to leave my nice, warm tropical climate to fly out to Saskatoon to meet this guy face to face along with the other guys over at Danger Dynamite. I had a wonderful time and met a lot of great people, feel free to take a look over at the.
[added 2018] From traveling to my home country of Trinidad and Tobago to attending my wedding. Staying at my home during that period. Accompanying me to the wedding and dressing in the same room as my groomsmen and me. To refusing to compensate me for the last project, or even speaking to me in general. It's always interesting how time changes one's interactions and relationship with persons you once called a friend. My time at Danger Dynamite taught me a lot about mixing a friendship (now ex-friendship) with business and the importance of contractual agreements in business. It also taught me that no matter how much some people seem to have your best interest at heart, selfishness is often too hard to shake.
Oh well...water under the bridge. I take away life lessons, skills learnt and move on to my next big opportunity.
My first days at Fujitsu Caribbean felt like I just graduated from primary school and moved into secondary school. I moved from a small team where everyone had their own strengths and weaknesses to a huge team spanning various disciplines/ technologies. The longer I worked there the more I realized how much I needed to learn, the transition was made easier though as my buddy Andre Harrington was already employed in the department I was placed. He showed me the ropes and made it much easier to feel at home. Interfacing with teams across the Caribbean and the world, liaising with clients in different timezones and languages made the experience more exciting.
Unicomer was my first stint at a medium to enterprise scale network environment, the IT department serviced over 500 clients that spanned across various geographic locations within Trinidad and Tobago. There was definitely a bit of an adjustment to a job with much bureaucracy and politics but all in all a great experience. Due to the various offices being spread across our lovely twin-island nation, working at Unicomer assisted me in learning of places I never knew existed.
The knowledge and experience gained at Southern Technologies Limited gave me the push I needed to discover my entrepreneurial desire. I started this company with $1000 and no sizable customer base. I was extremely tough; I laughed, I cried, I made money, I spent money, I made friends, I made enemies but most importantly the lessons learnt during this period will stay with me for the rest of my life. I would encourage anyone to follow their hearts (I know cliche right?) and do what makes them happy.
At just 18 years of age I received a call whilst working as a clerical officer in The On-the-Job Training Programme (a programme designed to assist young persons acclimate to the working force) from a man by the name of Scofield Thomas. He had a small information technology company and was looking for technicians. I learnt so much from this gentleman, he took me under his wing and helped me push myself in so many areas, his contribution is truly invaluable.
Only a week after being approved for my Canadian Permanent Residency, I started what turned out to be one of the best decisions i've ever made. Having tried to become proficient in web development technologies on my own for quite some time, Bitmaker's approach to teaching was a refreshing change of pace. I enjoyed every lecture, every assignment and am currently working on my final project...to be continued.
It is said with great power comes great responsibility (although i'm not certain being MCSE certified counts as having "great power"), and with great power my MCSE certification brought me additional responsibility that made studying near impossible. It was time though to start pursuing greater ambitions, a MSc in an Information Technology related discipline is on the agenda.
The MCSE 2012 finish-line was in sight, after completing exams (70-413) Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure and (70-414) Implementing an Advanced Server Infrastructure I was once again MCSE certified this time in Microsoft Server 2012!
Certification was achieved by completing exams (70-411) Administering Windows Server 2012 and (70-412) Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services.
The job at Fujitsu Caribbean (Trinidad) Limited also brought a host of new industry standards. These standards were compulsory by various service level agreements with clients. It therefore became necessary to improve my understanding and behavior when administering customer environments, this is where ITIL v3 was beneficial.
After a bit of a sabbatical from certifications, my new job at Fujitsu Caribbean (Trinidad) Limited made me once again excited about certifications. I started with (70-410) Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 and once again earned my MCP.
Certification was achieved by completing exams (70-293) Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, (70-294) Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure and (70-298) Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network.
Certification was achieved by completing exams (70-290) Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, (70-291) Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, (70-299) Implementing, Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network and (70-351) TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2006.
I recall going into this examination at the Prometric Testing Centre and thinking... "an exam on Windows XP? I got this". Two hours later I had failed at my first Microsoft examination. I learnt a great lesson that day, never be over confident and end up underprepared. The next week I completed the exam (70-270) Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional and got my MCP!
After attending training for both CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Net+ I decided to only complete this certification and use it as a gateway (pun intended) into more advanced concepts.
This period of study is equivalent to Junior-high/ High School in the American education system. This phase was completed within a month of my 16th birthday, my results: English Language (1), English Literature (3), Mathematics (1), Geography (2), POA (3), Spanish (2), Technical Drawing (1), GCE Computer (D). Yes I got a poor result in my GCE Computer exam and still pursued a career in Information Technology! Take that conventional education system!
Use the link and gaze upon my magnificent professional career!
Whether you're a friend or a foe feel free to drop me a line, I'm always interested in meeting new people and sharing new ideas.
Ottawa, Ontario
(343) 997 2280
marlon.oneil1
