Profile
Welcome to my personal webpage. This is a quick overview of my competences and reflections as an MSc.it. from the IT University of Copenhagen. I have spanned the roles of the the project manager, programmer, teacher and advisor, and found them all very rewarding.
My areas of expertise is primarily within advanced web development, media technology and general communiation. My work philosophy is that a production is no stronger than its weakest link, and that it should amount to more than just the sum of its parts.
Web and media technology
I have always tried to stay on top of established and emerging technologies. My concern is not to be an expert in all technical fields, but to understand on a level that allows me to develop, organise, integrate and communicate across. I can put things together on my own, but I prefer to aim for higher goals that are only reachable by a team. With a education from the IT University, the user and organisation is a natural center of attention in all of my design decisions, and there is no decision in a software development project that I don't consider a design decision.
I think there is an abundance of valid solutions to most it-related challenges, but just a handful of really good solutions. Being familiar with a wide range of technologies on an advanced level is essential to see all the possibilities and find the optimal solution. The decision is all too often made without the complete overview.
In web and media technology, it is a fateful decision whether to use client-side or server-side scripting, what server architectures to rely on, when it is clever to use Flash, how to use frameworks efficiently and whether to go for that NoSQL-solution or stick to the relational model. The list goes on forever.
Communication skills
While technology is my primary strength, I have a background and a curiosity that have sent me in a lot of directions. I have excellent Danish and English language skills, and I started my bachelor within social studies, which has given me a general knowledge base in political, social and economic areas.
I find that there is no secret formula to effective and simple communication - but the funny thing is, we all know it by example. The issue of good communication should be addressed with care every step of the way, and it is important to have a deep understanding of the target audience.
Users and methods
User-centric design should go further than just considering usability and accessibility in the narrow sense. Intuitive design is relevant for a first-time user, but in the long run efficiency, integration and transparency become the crucial qualities. Any design should scale gracefully, and not only in terms of size - but also in the mind and daily experience of the user.
Choosing the right development method and strategy is really a way to approach cooperation reflectively - among the members of the team and in dialogue with the customer. But while we have a tendency to think that development methods will fix these problems when we implement them, the way we work together should be a center of attention on all levels - socially, professionally, in the communication between the involed roles and in relation to the interests and structure of the organisation.
Independence
Between my BA and my MSc, I had my own one-man firm, that did web and database development projects for small and medium sized businesses. This was a very rewarding time, that gave me a very clear sense of my strengths and weaknesses. I have entrepreneurial dreams still, but I recognize the need to mature professionally in a lot of areas first.
Current
I am currently employed by MOC Systems as a web developer. MOC delivers websites based on TYPO3. We develop in HTML/CSS, javascript and PHP.