Hi!
Welcome to my portfolio! This is where I put some of the things I've written and coded. I'm more of a writer than a programmer, but I have some skill at both so I'm including both here.
It's usually considered impolite to brag about oneself, but that's kind of the point of a portfolio: "look at me, I'm special". So since you're here, let me just say it: I am special. I'm clever and creative, I have a sense of humor. I have pretty good social skills and work well with others. I'm an ideas man, a problem solver and an outside-the-box thinker.
I'm also a generalist, not a specialist. I know more than enough about a lot of things, but I'm not an expert in any one thing. In the job market that's generally a disadvantage, but I consider it a strength. It lets me look at problems from different angles instead of just the one I'm used to. To paraphrase an old cliché, if you're a hammer expert, every problem looks like a nail. Well, I may not be the best at hammers, but I can swing one, and I can recognize a screw when I see one, too.
Anyway, thanks for making it this far. Look around, read some of the things I wrote, play the game I coded, and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me, robert.w.austin@gmail.com.
Things I've written
Non-fiction
I also have experience with technical and semi-technical writing, including legal briefs. I pride myself on being able to explain things clearly, making complicated ideas easier to understand, and crafting sound, convincing arguments to support my points. I have written some longer work (software user manuals), but they're not online, so I can't link to them.
Fiction
Poems
Stuff I've coded
I invented a grammar game for one of my classes, and it was popular enough that I decided to make a digital version. The result was the game "details". I think it has commercial potential, but it still has some issues, and I've been doing other things.
I also built a site to go with the game that would feature educational materials, grumbly.games. My motivation ran out before I could finish it (the problem was I needed to make videos showing how to play the game, but I got frustrated because the videos weren't turning out well.) But I did manage to make some cool stuff, like this interactive, animated "Wheel of Questions" using SVG and CSS.
My second React project, "SIMON" was made for freeCodeCamp's frontend course. I had "simple, mobile-first, responsive" in mind when I designed it. I taught myself promises and ES6 syntax to build it, and used SVG and web-audio for the animation and sounds. The code can be found in my GitHub React repository .
A traditional sliding puzzle. My first non-trivial javascript project, as such it has a few issues with code structure, but it works, so I've never gone back to refactor it. I also used Bootstrap, because a lot of people were talking about it at the time.
Things I can and will do for money
As shown by this portfolio, I have some modest skill as a developer, and am by my own estimation a decent writer. My goal is to convince people to pay me to write or edit or code for them, so I can continue to write and code for myself. If you have found your way to this page, let me suggest that I can and am willing to do any of the following for money:
- write creative content for blogs or magazines
- ghostwrite
- write original poems, songs, speeches or skits for special events
- write advertising copy
- proofread/edit/doctor your written work (almost everything is better after a second set of eyes has gone over it)
- proofreading, editing and refining legal briefs
- write and edit HTML and CSS
- work with React or Svelte for frontend development
- critique business plans
- consult on major life decisions
If you have a need for any of the above services, please don't hesitate to contact me at robert.w.austin@gmail.com, or you can find me on Telegram or WhatsApp under my American phone number, +1 313 529 45 43.
About ...
Me
40-something-year-old American with degrees in Computer Engineering and English Literature. I primarily consider myself a writer, but I've also been a teacher, tutor, engineer, clerk, surveyor, proofreader, editor, laborer, builder and a cook. I'm good at the creative stuff and problem solving, not great at following orders. I like gardening and making things. Currently traveling.
I don't use much social media, but I am on instagram.
My history as a 'developer'
I made my first website in 2001. I took my first computer science course in 2003. Since then, I've continued dabbling in programming, learning how to do things that interested me. I've gotten pretty good as a generalist—I understand how computers work and how programs should be structured. But I've never had the regular, day-to-day experience of working at a software company. Because I've never had that experience, I never became an expert at any one thing. So I do have some weaknesses as a developer.
On the other hand... I'm phenomenal at working as part of a team. I get along with everyone, can give people honest feedback without hurting their feelings, have strong enough technical skills that I can understand why a problem should be solved in a particular way, and am an above-average communicator. It's a lot easier for a motivated team player to improve their technical skills than for someone with good technicals but poor people skills to learn to work well with others.
Contacting me
I have an email address, robert.w.austin@gmail.com, and can also be found on WhatsApp and Telegram via my US phone number, +1 313 529 45 43.
Unless stated otherwise, I still own the copyright to everything here.