About me

I didn't do Computer Science at University. Sometimes I've felt like I'm not a "real" Software Engineer because of this. However, I've been fortunate to have worked with some fantastic people who have taught me a lot.

Since I've worked as an Engineer, I've loved every minute. I find it sad that decisions you make as a teenager mean you miss out on doing something perfect for you.

As a teenager, I wanted to fit in and be popular. It's funny even to imagine 17-year-old me starting to code. There was a strong stigma against it.

I did what most privileged and mildly intelligent teenagers did when they could'nt work out what to do with their lives - Economics.

I had an incredible time at University. However, I left feeling disillusioned by the whole "finance" / "business" thing.

After a year off, I tried sales. I hated it, and it's given me a huge respect for people who do it. It's also been handy as an engineer - but that's a post for another day.

I found programming after quitting my sales job to start my own business. In reality, I didn't start anything - I just got lost in learning to code.

After I ran out of money starting my business learning to code, it was time to get a job. My first job was at Reach PLC. I was fortunate to join a fantastic team of smart, patient engineers who helped me develop quickly.

This first role is also where I grew a passion for Functional Programming - to the point it became obsessive.

Looking back, I'm incredibly grateful (and they probably don't know it) to those who helped me in that first job. But, by the time I left (and with hindsight), I'd become a terrible colleague.

I had a strong egotistical need to be the cleverest (I wasn't even close), and I thought I knew everything.

I now know that this was classic Peak Ignorance (see my post on the Dunning Kruger Effect for context). Realising this was an important lesson for me.

It was time to move on. A couple of jobs later, I joined the Blockchain Analytics company Elliptic. I learned so much there. Especially:

• Functional Programming is fun - but building shit that does stuff is better
• It's better to be the stupidest among geniuses than the cleverest among the ordinary.
• How to manage people who are better (and more qualified) than you

I grew (and shrank) with Elliptic. I got incredible opportunities and will look back at my time there positively.

At the start of 2023, I joined another Crypto startup: Violet, as VP of Engineering and later CTO.

In 2024 I joined OFA startup Blink Labs as CTO.