Drake Costa

Full-Stack JavaScript Engineer

drake@saeris.io linkedin.com/in/saeris twitter.com/saeris github.com/saeris

Summary:

Self-taught software engineer and second-career developer, previously having worked as a game designer. Educational background in graphic design. Avid photographer, competitive online gamer, and craft beer enthusiast. Highly values learning and bringing people together.

Expertise:

  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • HTML / CSS
  • GraphQL
  • Node.js
  • React
  • Gatsby
  • Apollo
  • Webpack / Babel
  • AWS Lambda
  • JIRA
  • Figma
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator

Experience:

  • Front-End Engineer
    Contract
    CodeSandbox
    May 2019 - March 2020
    Remote
    Software Development Tools
    React, TypeScript, Styled-Components, Reakit, Apollo, GraphQL
    • Responsible for front-end work on Custom Templates, enabling users to build and share their own reusable starter projects.
    • Built a 'crash handler' page, prototyped within CodeSandbox, providing users with a tool to file crash reports with pre-filled details. The dog-fooding process used to develop this feature is now used internally to quickly iterate on new UI features.
    • Established coding style guidlines and implemented them alongside a refactor of dozens of components to React Hooks / TypeScript. Would later oversee a call for open-source contributions through Hacktoberfest, resulting in 60+ submissions from multiple contributors.
  • Full-Stack Engineer
    Freelance
    Oct 2012 - May 2019
    Pleasanton, CA
    Open Source Software Development
    React, Vue, Apollo, GraphQL, AWS
    • Published multiple GraphQL example applications and libraries (see projects)
  • Front-End Developer
    Full-Time
    4-Tell
    Oct 2016 - Dec 2016
    Portland, OR
    eCommerce SaaS
    Aurelia, Redux, GraphQL, Highcharts, Microsoft Azure
    • Developed a prototype application using the Aurelia Framework. Implemented a CI/CD pipeline deploying to Microsoft Azure and collaborated with the CTO on API design.
  • Developer III
    Full-Time
    Catalyst DevWorks
    Aug 2015 - Feb 2016
    Beaverton, OR
    Software Engineering Services
    Aurelia, Sass, Apache Velocity, Liferay, Grunt
    • Responsible for front-end development of various UI components for Regence Blue-Cross and Asuris Health at Cambia Health Solutions
    • Overhauled Node.js / Grunt build process and project organization, optimizing Node package usage (from 6+ Gb down to ~250 Mb) and reducing automated build times in Jenkins (from over 1 hour down to ~15 minutes), enabling faster iteration and higher productivity
    • Mentored junior engineers in the use of Aurelia, component-based architectures, CSS Flexbox, and JavaScript best-practices
  • Front-End Developer
    Contract
    Sellpoints
    Dec 2014 – May 2015
    Emeryville, CA
    Online Marketing & Advertising
    HTML, CSS, jQuery
    • Coded a prototype front-end for an IBM Watson powered search results page for CES 2015, which helped to secure a $7.5 million Series C
    • Trained a dozen co-workers from sales and management to use an internally developed content management system, enabling the company to meet a huge deadline for a contract with Walmart, equivalent to a year’s worth of normal work in a period of three months
    • Automated a set of common and repetitive tasks for the production team via a JavaScript browser extension, saving hours of work daily

Projects:

Education:

  • Las Positas Community College
    AA - Visual Communications
    May 2010
    Livermore, CA