Welcome !
About Me | My Skills
Hello,
Well where to start, my passion for IT stemmed throughout my childhood, my college years and beyond; indeed you'll still find me tapping away on my laptop at the ripe old age of 32, way into the wee hours whilst my fiancée sleeps by my side.
I have much enthusiasm, experience and knowledge in both hardware and software. I spent four years in higher education completing both a national diploma in computing and a higher national diploma in computing (merits in both) and gained an excellent grounding in the world of computer hardware, networking, databases and web design.
After leaving education I held various posts and contracts in IT; working as a technician for Chaucer secondary school and Immigration, a callout technician for PC Callout, contracted to two primary schools providing a whole host of duties including repairs, backups, troubleshooting, user support and network support.
From 2002 I began my customer service role at SeaFrance working shifts which gave me the flexibility I needed to carry on with my IT contracts. In 2008 I resurrected my passion for web development and set about re-learning and advancing the knowledge initially introduced to me during my time at college.
I have much enthusiasm for programming and have spent countless hours learning from self study books and online video courses. The subjects that I have studied and continue to study and can demonstrate effectively to a high level are as follows:
- Microsoft Visual Studio ASP.NET with Visual Basic and C#.
- Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 (good command of the TSQL language, stored procedures, and database design techniques).
- XHTML, CSS, JavaScript and the DOM (with AJAX and jQuery)
- PHP 5.x with MySQL 5.x.
- XML (used with XSLT, DTDs and XML Schemas).
- Good knowledge of OOP concepts.
- Microsoft Office 2007 with Word, Excel, Outlook and Access to an advanced level
- An in‐depth knowledge of Windows XP and troubleshooting techniques
I have mainly developed in a Windows environment but intend to study up on Linux when I get the chance to further my skill set.
I have an understanding of browser compatibility and web accessibility standards. I have learned to write code to a high standard; by following strict standards, and, have also used object orientated programming methods with PHP, VB and C#.
Databases are another area of interest to me and I have a good grasp of MySQL and MS SQL Server 2008 with the TSQL language, stored procedures, and database design techniques, I have spent much time learning about data access (datasets, datatables etc) in VB and C#.
Recently, to keep myself busy, I've been working on a website (Sofa Food Search) to help people find takeaway food outlets, the idea being that users can find places to eat + resturant menus whilst businesses can upload their details and menus and advertise on the site. Its far from finished but I am proud to say the login system (which I custom built) is complete. I have used Dreamweaver CS4 for this project, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript and JQuery for presentation, PHP for the data layer and MySQL for the backend, Please feel free to download my code (top left).
I have experience of a range of areas in IT; from fixing PCs and computer networking to website design and databases. I have the intention of finding a career in IT support or web development and am always working on projects to keep my knowledge current.
I have over seven year’s office and customer service experience to offer and can work well on my own initiative. I have excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to interact professionally and friendly with people at all levels.
I am quick to grasp new ideas and concepts and to develop innovative and creative solutions to problems, I also have a logical approach to problem solving with an eye for detail.
Simon Barrett.
Latest Projects
| Deal Folk Club website | Visit | Code available on request. |
| Sofa Food Search UK v1.3 | Visit | Download code |