being a new grad

i have never been any good at writing, especially about myself, but since graduating i have had a lot of time to kill make things, and now i want to write about it

since finding out i didn’t get my graduate job i have been using some of my time to learn software development skills, primarily related to web development but some game programming and software consulting too. after making a hugo website for my cousin’s wedding celebrant business i decided to make a personal site where i can share what i have been working on.

in the comming days i will add posts covering each recent project, and maybe go a bit further back, but first i will write a little about what i have been up to since graduation

job hunting

i had a software consulting graduate role lined up but didn’t end up getting the grades. i know i’m soley responsible for that, but for what its worth i didn’t have a great time at uni, other than meeting my girlfriend, Rosie.

since then i have been applying to suitable graduate/junior software roles but as anyone in a similar boat knows, right now isn’t a great time to be looking for that sort of role. the people in my life are generaly supprised by that, but their reactions don’t change the job landscape. i am willing to take unpaid roles in order to gain experience, as that is the main thing holding me back, but there are few of those oppertunities too.

projects

recently i built a community pet sitting app where you invite your friends and family to sit for your pets, sittr; i did some web design and security consulting for a charity making sailing more accessible, cvs sailors; after my cousin’s wedding i made my other cousin who officiated it a website for her wedding celebrant business, wedbylyd; i have been dabbling in game development with godot, but with little to share currently

jake (the dog)

my parents went to new zealand a few months before us, leaving myself and Rosie to look after the dog. he has generally been pretty good but requires serious and forceful convincing to go on walks, not because he hates it, but because he’s so damn stubborn about where he wants to walk (its a golden retriever thing).

he did take 2-3 hours out of my day and somewhat grounded me at home, but we love him

new zealand

my eldest cousin ollie got married in january, so i flew out for the wedding at the tomic family home in hamilton, nz. i got to explore new zealand, spend some time with my family over there, and get a pretty good winter tan.

it has been a long time since i was over last and it was Rosie’s first time, and obviously we loved it. everyone is so relaxed, easy going and friendly. everywhere you go has wildlife, especially native birds. i highly rate the national kiwi hatchery, those birds are strange and prehistoric and very moody when it comes to feeding time.

this trip was planned some time ahead so i struggled to get part time work in the lead up so volunteered at julia’s house children’s hospice helping out with managing the ebay business and other misc tasks.

the near future

i will continue to work on my projects, maybe make some more websites for people with hugo as that seems to tickle the right itch at the moment, and continue looking for work both short and long term work.

if you or someone you know is hiring, or could just get me some experience, please get in touch, either via my contact form or linkedin. i will be eternally grateful

nerdy bits

this site is built with hugo and tailwind, from the hugoplate template. most of the functionality in the template was stripped away for simplicity. terminal like effects were achieved with a monospaced font, tailwind’s animate:pulse, and css skew. its hosted on netlify’s free plan. also check the console.