James is available for hire!
Looking For A Job

TL;DR: I’m available for hire. Experienced at Linux/Golang/Mentoring/etc. More information below!


A drawing of me coding away.
A photo of me giving a talk to a sold-out crowd.


Background:

Two years ago, I left my job at Red Hat to work on mgmt config full-time. I’m still passionate about this project, and I’m proud of the progress that has been made in the last two years, but it’s time for me to explore new opportunities as well. My years of experience building mgmt has taught me a lot about open source, golang and mentoring others, and I hope this makes me a valuable addition to your team.


About Me:

If it’s your first time here, hi, I’m James. I’m a McGill University educated physiologist who has been working with computers since a very young age. I like working on challenging and important projects, and I am passionate about research, open source and giving back. On the internet, I’m usually known as purpleidea. [1], [2], [3]

I’ve worked as a sysadmin, software engineer, config management architect, and in the devops community. I’ve worked both full-time, and as a freelancer. I’ve worked both on software as well as physical infrastructure and networking. I’ve also been involved in copyright/IP law, mostly around open source licensing. I’ve worked for big tech, and also for a medical (MRI brain imaging) company. I’ve given a large number of talks and tutorials all around the world. A list with both recordings and ratings is available here.


Projects:

Here are a few projects that I’ve worked on recently.

  1. Mgmt Config
    Mgmt is a real-time, event-driven, automation tool that is written in golang. I am the founder and primary developer on the project. It has over 2k GitHub stars, and over 75 unique contributors.

  2. DevOps/SWE Mentoring Program
    I run a small non-profit mentoring program that helps interested participants to improve their sysadmin and software engineering skills. You can read their testimonials.

  3. Les Garderies K.I.D.S. Infrastructure
    Les Garderies K.I.D.S. is a chain of daycares in the Montreal region. I installed new structured cabling and networking that includes Linux-based routing, firewalling, dhcp, and managed wifi networks. Their flagship location has a brand-new Asterisk PBX which I setup and integrated with an RFID door access system. Both PoE and wireless phones are connected. It also has a camera system with custom viewing screens that I built from Raspberry Pi computers. You can read their testimonials.


Skills:

Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of my technical skills.

Strongly proficient with:

  • Linux+GNU (both Red Hat and Debian flavours)
  • Golang, Python, bash, mcl, markdown, YAML, Make, Puppet
  • Git, GitHub, code review, maintaining and contributing to open source projects
  • etcd, DRBD, GFS2, GlusterFS, libvirt, Vagrant
  • Networking, Shorewall, IEEE 802.*, TIA/EIA-568-A/B/C
  • Online communication (email/IRC/video chat/etc)
  • Technical writing (documentation and blogging)
  • Giving interactive tutorials and mentoring (both to peers and the community)
  • Conference speaking and organization (I’ve helped organize a number of conferences)

Have experience with:

  • PHP, Ruby, SQL, JavaScript
  • Docker, Kubernetes, Openshift, systemd-nspawn
  • Asterisk/FreePBX
  • LDAP, Kerberos, FreeIPA
  • HVAC Concepts, NEMA Nomenclature, Power Engineering
  • Open Source Licensing and Copyright/Intellectual Property law

What I'm Looking For:

I’m open to filling different roles, which could include any combination of:

  • Software Engineering
  • Systems Administration / SRE
  • DevOps Engineering
  • Developer Advocacy / Outreach
  • Infrastructure/Software Architecture and Design
  • Open Source Planning and Business Strategy

I think I’m pretty versatile, and I’d love to hear about any new opportunities that I hadn’t yet considered! I’m open to working for a tech company, or for a company that needs in-house tech. I’m looking for a place with either a strong engineering culture or one that wants help growing theirs.


Where I'm Looking:

I am looking for a remote opportunity, however I’m happy to spend some monthly portion at your offices, either just initially to get up to speed, or as part of routine travel to keep in closer touch with your existing team.


Hobbies:

I have a hobbyist electronics lab and I enjoy riding my bikes! I’ve been lucky to try many different activities over the years, but these two are the most current.


Languages:

I can speak English and French fluently, and I am a beginner in Spanish.


I'm available for hire!:

If you think I might be a good fit for your organization, please reach out to me and say hi! I’ve got a contact form that is awaiting your message!

(Direct offers only, no recruiters please.)

Happy Hiring,

James


You can follow James on Mastodon for more frequent updates and other random thoughts.
You can follow James on Twitter for more frequent updates and other random thoughts.
You can support James on GitHub if you'd like to help sustain this kind of content.
You can support James on Patreon if you'd like to help sustain this kind of content.

September 10, 2020
798 words

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james git gnu golang linux purpleidea planetfedora systemd

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