Things worth writing down
Notes on technology leadership, architecture decisions and what contracting is actually like. Written while doing the work rather than afterwards.
Architecture Decisions
How Building a Caravan Booking Platform Made Me a Better Architect
1 Sept 2025
When I joined Holiday Caravans Direct (HCD), I didn't expect the experience would shape the core of how I think about software...
Tech Toolbox
Bootstrap, jQuery and Drag-and-Drop: Crafting Rich Interfaces Without React or Vue
28 Aug 2025
Before SPAs became the default approach to front-end development, crafting rich user interfaces meant getting creative with simpler...
Contractor Career
Balancing Code and Company: The Hidden Costs of Being a Technical Contractor
27 Aug 2025
When people think about contracting, they often focus on the freedom. Choose your clients. Set your rates. Work when and where you want....
Architecture Decisions
Why Compile-Time Safety Still Wins in a Rapid Development World
26 Aug 2025
In today's development landscape, speed often takes centre stage. Teams move fast, iterate quickly, and lean on tools that allow for...
Technical Leadership
Guiding Teams Through Technological Change: Reflections on Mentorship at Activus
21 Aug 2025
When I joined Activus as a contractor, the primary goal was to modernise a large VB6 Windows Forms application. But what I found waiting...
Technical Leadership
When Development Becomes a Trade: Reflections on Identity in Software Careers
20 Aug 2025
It was a throwaway comment. One of those things said in passing that somehow sticks with you longer than it should. A colleague once...
Legacy Modernization
Lessons from Lyons Davidson: When Framework Abstraction Goes Wrong
19 Aug 2025
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned in my career didn't come from a technical book or a mentor—it came from a misstep. While...
Architecture Decisions
Communicating Architecture: Why Diagrams Matter
18 Aug 2025
One of the most underrated skills in software architecture is the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. In my early career and...
Contractor Career
The Pitfalls of Early Contracting: What I Learned About Financial Management the Hard Way
14 Aug 2025
Starting out as a contractor, I was prepared for the technical challenges. I had experience, confidence in my skillset, and the...
Contractor Career
From Developer to Business: My Transition to Contracting and the Lessons Learned
13 Aug 2025
Shifting from permanent employment to contracting was never part of a grand plan. It began with a conversation with a recruiter, and...
Tech Toolbox
Dependency Injection for Microservices: Why I Recommend Dapr
12 Aug 2025
When building microservices, one of the recurring challenges is service-to-service communication. How do we allow services to talk to...
Technical Leadership
Culture Shock: Why Loyalty in Tech Isn't What You Think
11 Aug 2025
When I started my career at Brightside, I still held on to the idea that loyalty in the workplace worked the same in tech as it did in...
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