Adam T. Carpenter

I am a computer programmer who has been developing and maintaining native and web applications since 2018. I have also provided freelance systems administration services and technical mentoring since 2016.

I am fluent in Rust, C#, Python, PHP, JavaScript, Bourne Shell, and HTML+CSS.

I am also familiar with Java, C, C++, and TypeScript. I have used a variety of frameworks and libraries, as well as a myriad of web servers, databases, and "DevOps" platforms.

I aim to create simple, performant, and well-documented software that solves real problems with no surprises.

Work History

• Manage team of eight software engineers, on site and remote
• Coordinate development of self-service portal with 2000+ DAU
• AI transcripts and summarization development workstream owner
• Design and implemented Argo BlueGreen rollout strategy for progressive deployments with zero downtime
• Promoted adoption of Google SRE practices in a paperwork-heavy change environment
• Created remote developer jump box to reduce onboarding time

• Reverse engineered undocumented, proprietary protocol and created Angelshark to automate config changes. Sends commands over SSH channels to remote terminal emulators.
• TODO: CICD/site reliability engineering
• Co-authored custom authentication API and reverse proxy to serve as a container traffic router. Turns LDAP credentials into JWTs.
• On-boarded and mentored team of six developers on organization DevOps technology and practices. This included configuring and knowledge-sharing a Jenkins CICD pipeline, local Docker Trusted Registry, and IBM Cloud Private flavor of Kubernetes. This also consisted of informal lectures on concepts such as continuous deployment and delivery, the "12-factor" methodology, and containerization.

Skills

Software Engineering

• Build performant, correct applications and services with a focus on automating manual labor and making architects' and operators' lives easier.
• Contribute to internal and client-facing front-end software that is simple and easy to use.
• Integrating with organizational build chains and DevOps pipelines for deployments with zero surprises.

Systems Administration

• Architect and arrange physical machines and the servers that run on them for minimal downtime and secure, speedy operation.
• Administer container orchestration clusters with dozens of "micro-services" that need to communicate together to achieve a common goal. Apply zero-downtime upgrade practices as well as high-availability horizontal replica scaling for high-use applications.
• Self-host a variety of tools, applications, and web servers for the purpose of learning and ownership of digital property.

Technical Mentoring, Leadership

• Transfer knowledge and skills in a practical, enjoyable fashion in language that is [hopefully] easy to comprehend.
• Take a senior role in directing a flourishing new team of developers to get started quickly and achieve a state of production in little time.
• Co-host informal lectures and "lunch and learns" on a variety of topics, especially but not limited to computing.

Academic History

I have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary. While there, I participated in several group software development projects such as hybrid Android application testing and presided over the campus Game Design Club.

About Me

I wrote my first program on a TI-84 in BASIC to help finish my high school math homework faster. I quickly transitioned to building more complicated programs but have continued to enjoy finding the smallest amount of code to solve a problem quickly, correctly, and securely.

I grew up in and still call Hampton Roads, Virginia my home. In my spare time I drive and maintain a classic car, a 1953 Hudson Hornet. I enjoy travelling and being at home with my wife and cocker spaniel. I also self-host a web server in a closet in my home.

I keep a public journal on my web site.