Chris O’Connell

Phoenix, AZ · cao@mac.com

I’m an experienced web applications developer with an emphasis on object oriented programming. I'm looking to be among the very best in my field. I know that will take years of hard work, constant learning and dedication. But that’s great because I love not only programming but also user interface design. Where else but web development can one do both! :-)

Experience

View my Résumé

Web Applications Developer

TraCorp

Full-time employee developing custom LMS (Learning Management System). Was instrumental in bringing modern development practices to the company.

  • Completely overhauled the student side of the LMS, replacing legacy procedure code with OOP using Zend Framework 2.
  • Implemented a Restful API—secured with OAuth2—to facilitate the current interface changes using React JS, as well as future plans to create a mobile app.
  • Updated their version control system to use a git repository.
  • Automated build process using Phing. Now builds take 2 minutes instead of two hours, updating all clients takes 2 hours instead of 2 weeks!
  • Refactored code base to allow easier client customizations while reducing the code base by 40,000+ lines of redundant code.
  • Got whole team to start using bug tracking/project management software. Prior to this the team was using a spreadsheet and communication per items was limited.
March 2012 – Present

Web Applications Developer

Arizona Pain Specialists

Full-time employee developing web applications for their internal support stuff and external web site PainDoctor.com.

  • Developed multiple internal web applications using Zend Framework
  • Increased efficiency and reduced errors by integrating the Google Spreadsheet API into an internal web application for the billing department, saving work that was previously done by hand.
  • Backed up and version controlled all projects using SVN repositories.
October 2010 - March 2012

Independent Contractor

The Muscle Maximizer

Hired as project-based independent contractor to create an online version of their nutrition program.

  • Developed web application using Zend Framework
  • Made extensive use of the Dojo Javascript Framework for its AJAX and Animation features.
  • Added Multi-Lingual support using poedit translation file.
March 2011 - June 2011

Education

Northern Arizona University

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
Minors in Computer Science and Physics

Devlearn 2016

Attendee

DevLearn 2016 is for training and learning professionals who are engaged in their organizations’ use of learning technologies. I took many sessions about the future of eLearning and spoke with vendors on integrating their products with our LMS.

Zend Technologies, Inc.

Zend Framework 2: Advanced Concepts

The Zend Framework 2: Advanced Concepts course is designed for proficient PHP programmers, already familiar and working with Zend Framework 2 (ZF2), who want to take their knowledge to the next level by learning how to apply best practices when configuring and building applications for scalability, interactivity, and high performance.

ZendCon 2012

Attendee

A five day event, ZendCon is the Premier PHP Conference. I got to listen to the top PHP developers in the world speak and educate on multiple web development topics.

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
With almost 10 years of programming experience in PHP, I have a very diverse knowledge base to help me solve any task. While my expertise is in SOLID object oriented programming using modern frameworks, I also have experience in SEO, front-end layout, page optimization, along with several libraries, frameworks and API’s.

 

I’ve been using Zend Framework since version one and have been staying up-to-date with it now on version 3. This has given me experience in all facets of the framework from security, routing, event management, and many ways of customizing the framework though overloading of the classes and templates.

 

In my spare time I’ve been working on a mobile app using the Ionic platform. This will also greatly carry over for developing progressive web apps.

 

While working on my app I have made extensive use of Google’s Firebase services for their NoSQL database, authentication, hosting, and database triggers.

 

My programming emphasis has always been on the backend, but that doesn't mean I haven’t built up a strong front end programming ability as well. I’ve used straight javascript, jQuery, Dojo Toolkit, Angular and Ionic frameworks.

 

When front end development work is needed I’ve been turning to Bootstrap since version 2. Throw in some jQuery and Font Awesome icons and I can quickly get a site up, running and looking good.

 

Interests

When I’m not in front of a computer I like to be active. I enjoy weight training, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding and since the beginning of 2017 I’ve been taking Krav Maga matial arts.

Of course being a nerd at heart I can’t stay away from the computer for long. Even when I’m not “working” I like to stay up-to-date on the latest trends/frameworks/technologies in the web & app development. Currently I’m developing a mobile fitness app using the Ionic framework.

Certifications