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I’m Kyle, a software engineer, technician, and technology guru

Portrait of Kyle Ross

I'm a seasoned full-stack engineer based in Rock Hill, SC. I bring to the table a wealth of experience and a profound passion for web development.

My journey into web development dates back to 2003 during my formative years in middle school. It all began with a desire to create websites that provided my friends with access to online games not restricted by our school's filters. By the time I was in high school, I had extended my skills to designing websites for local businesses and freelancing on the side. Fast forward to today, and I've remained dedicated to the craft, consistently honing my web development skills.

JavaScript, in particular, holds a special place in my toolkit. Its unparalleled versatility allows me to seamlessly transition between crafting high-performance backend services and developing lightning-fast web applications on the frontend, all without the need for context switching. My commitment to mastering the JavaScript ecosystem ensures that I stay at the forefront of industry trends, continually expanding my knowledge base to deliver top-notch solutions.

Beyond my passion for programming, I possess a deep-rooted fascination for computer hardware. This fascination has spanned from my youth, driving me to derive immense satisfaction from the assembly, enhancement, and repair of computer systems. Over the years, I have contributed to the construction of dozens of computer systems and remedied issues in hundreds more. My ardor for this craft has inspired me to extend my services to a wider audience, offering expert computer solutions at a remarkably affordable rate. In doing so, I aim to democratize access to the transformative power of modern technology, thereby enhancing the lives of countless individuals.

Experience

Where my career and skillsets have taken me over the last 19 years.

  • Frontend Engineer, Technical Lead Octave

    Mar 2023 — Present (1 year, 1 month)
    • Steering the technical direction as the lead of a frontend team responsible for crafting both internal and external portals.
    • Spearheading critical technical decisions pertaining to infrastructure, development environments, and feature implementation.
    • Nurturing the growth of fellow engineers by providing mentorship and training in best practices, testing methodologies, and code maintainability.
    • Establishing consistency through comprehensive documentation and effective tooling.
    • Collaborating with designers to enhance the user experience (UX) and ensure accessibility standards.
    • Actively involved in the development and resolution of new and existing features within the applications.
    • TypeScript
    • React
    • Next.js
    • TailwindCSS
    • Jest
    • Playwright

  • Senior Software Engineer Red Ventures

    Aug 2015 — Dec 2022 (7 years, 4 months)
    • Orchestrated the overhaul of the primary company website, spearheading its redesign and seamless migration to a new CMS.
    • Engineered numerous ETL processes, empowering data scientists in dissecting advertising data for comprehensive analysis.
    • Directed engineering initiatives for critical processes and applications, notably contributing to Red Ventures' largest partnership.
    • Architected resilient and cost-effective infrastructure and applications within AWS, resulting in annual savings exceeding $200,000.
    • Actively engaged in various hack-a-thon events, showcasing a commitment to innovative problem-solving.
    • Skillfully managed a team of 4 engineers while maintaining a substantial individual contributor role.
    • Mentored and elevated the skills of 7 engineers, all of whom earned well-deserved promotions within the company.
    • JavaScript
    • React
    • Next.js
    • TailwindCSS
    • Node
    • Koa
    • MySQL
    • Terraform
    • AWS
    • Serverless
    • Docker

  • Apps Systems Engineer 5 Wells Fargo Securities

    Jun 2012 — Aug 2015 (3 years, 2 months)
    • Pioneered the creation of a bespoke client-side and Node.js framework, catalyzing swift development for internal applications.
    • Achieved the rapid deployment of a crucial internal employee review tool, mandated by law, within an impressive two-week timeframe.
    • Spearheaded the interview and mentorship processes for incoming front-end engineers, ensuring a seamless integration into the team.
    • Orchestrated the seamless integration of Node.js with multiple C# applications, serving as a crucial middleware layer.
    • Collaborated closely with a dynamic team of engineers to deliver sophisticated, data-intensive internal applications.
    • JavaScript
    • Vue
    • Node
    • Express
    • SQL Server
    • MongoDB

  • System Administrator Site5 LLC

    Oct 2010 — Mar 2012 (1 year, 5 months)
    • Expertly executed the seamless migration of diverse websites, ranging from WordPress and Joomla to Magento, custom PHP applications, and Ruby on Rails, onto our servers.
    • Innovated a customized toolset in PHP, automating the migration process and achieving an outstanding 200% reduction in time to completion.
    • Delivered efficient and effective level 1 and level 2 support via live chat and tickets, ensuring prompt and comprehensive assistance for our users.
    • PHP
    • MySQL
    • Apache
    • CentOS
    • WordPress

  • Founder/Developer Big Ross Labs

    Jul 2005 — Jul 2011 (6 years)
    • Founded and managed a thriving web design/development business, launching the venture during my high school years.
    • Crafted a diverse portfolio of websites for local businesses, notably developing a custom CMS for a prominent local restaurant.
    • Conceptualized and executed distinctive branding strategies for various local businesses, leaving a lasting visual imprint.
    • Collaborated with independent music artists to elevate their online presence and refine their brand identity, fostering a more impactful and engaging connection with their audience.
    • PHP
    • WordPress
    • MySQL
    • JavaScript
    • jQuery
    • Photoshop

Uses

My environment and tools that I use on a day-to-day basis.

  • Workstation

    • 14" MacBook Prop M1 Pro (2022)

      I’ve been a fan of MacOS for development since I started using it back in 2015. This was my first Mac with Apple Silicone and I have nothing but great things to say about it.

    • 34" Dell Ultrawide Display

      I like having more real estate to work, so I’ve always been a huge fan of the ultrawide monitors. I also like that it has a built-in KVM switch so I can use it with my personal gaming PC too.

    • Apple Magic Mouse

      The mouse that gets joked about the most (due to Apple’s decision of where to place the charging port), but it’s been my favorite for years now, although I spend most of the time with my hands on the keyboard. I’ve really liked the gestures and battery life.

    • Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

      This keyboard shares a lot of similarities with the built-in keyboard on my MacBook Pro, which makes it easy to switch between when I’m at my desk, or on the go.

    • Autonomous ErgoChair Pro

      I might as well keep my bad ergonomic habits in an expensive chair.

  • Development Tools

    • Visual Studio Code

      One of the most popular editors out there with great plugins and support.

    • Tower

      I prefer a UI when it comes to git because it allows me to see everything at a glance. I’ve tried many git UIs over the years but always come back to Tower.

    • iTerm2

      I enjoy the customizability of iTerm over the default Terminal on MacOS. This doesn’t provide anything more than aesthetics for me.

    • Typora

      While I can edit with live preview in VS Code, I really like using Typora as my main Markdown editor.

  • Design

    • Figma

      Figma has been a great tool for putting together designs and graphics. I used to do it all in Photoshop/Illustrator, but I find myself reaching for Figma more often.

    • Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator

      I still use Photoshop and Illustrator on a regular basis to edit images, create/edit vectors, and create logos.

  • Productivity

    • Grammarly

      Because typing coherent sentences is hard. I’ve found Grammarly to help improve how I write text and it gets me out of some of my bad habits.

    • Notion

      I just recently started using Notion for writing documentation to share with my team and I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I still like Apple Notes for personal use, though.

  • Tools