Candidature - Dave P

Loic Dachary suggests the implementation of http://tickets.farsides.com/issues/119 and http://tickets.farsides.com/issues/118

Xav: Smaller task

Intro/background

 * Can you describe yourself briefly? What did you work on so far ?

Hi, my name is David Park. I am 30 years old and I am from Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. My first introduction to computers was in Grade 5, when my parents bought a 386SX-25Mhz. As a kid, video games (e.g. Civilization, Masters of Orion, Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory series to name a few) were the main motivation to start learning how to use computers, but soon I realized that they could be used to make video games as well. This brought me into the realm of QBasic, Visial Basic 3.0, and Pascal around the age of 15. Since high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and after graduation I enrolled in the Computer Science program at the University of Victoria.

Although video games were my motivation and hobby, after university I ended up working in a variety of roles for companies that created audio software, HVAC building control systems, and maintained large pulp & paper mills. Finally, in 2007, I had a chance to work for a video game company that created educational games (i.e. serious games). This was a great experience, I had to the opportunity to actually work on video games and see if I could make my dreams a reality. Also, this work experience allowed me to test and challenge my ideas with other people, to see if they had merit, and to get practical feedback. Although the company had problems financially and did not survive, the fun and experience I gained is something I will never forget.


 * Why are you looking at a new job? And why with Farsides?

I am currently looking for a new job because I want to start doing things in life that I've always wanted to do. I have learned alot from my experience working in the computer industry, but now I feel it is time to focus on what I am passionate about. If someone asked me if I wanted to create applications that kept track of sales and production or inventory, or would I rather create video games, then I would say video games without hesitation. After working for a video game company, I enjoy creative and collaborative environments and I like working on products that are fun. Besides, who wouldn't want to say they make video games for a living?

The reason why I want to work for Farsides is for the opportunity to work on video games again. In addition, working remotely is a huge benefit as I currently do some freelance work from home. I feel certain that Farsides is a company in which I will be happy to work for, and I am confident I can be of value to your team.


 * Are you looking for a part time or a full time ? If part time, how many days or half days per week ?

I am looking for a full-time position, but I am available for part-time work as well. For part-time work, I would be comfortable with at least 20 hours a week (either full or half days).


 * How much were you earning in your last job ?

In the past, aside from freelance work, I have been earning between $45000 - $55000 (Canadian dollars) per year for full-time work.


 * How much do you wish to earn at Farsides ?

It would be nice to make at least $30000 for full-time work. Although, I am flexible and open to negotiation as money is not the most important issue for me when choosing an employer. The opportunity to do something I want to do is my highest priority.


 * Are you currently a freelancer ?

Yes, I have been a freelancer for about 2 years (although, I have been travelling during some of that time) doing web-development. I believe freelancing is important as it keeps you up-to-date, in touch with peoples' needs, and exposes you to a variety of work and skills.


 * Where do you live ?

I currently live in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. A city of 70000 people, located in the centre of the province, which I must say is a nice and relaxing place to live. I have, in the past, lived in various parts of western Canada such as Victoria and Edmonton.

Technical
Don't worry if you don't have experience in some areas - working is more fun when we have something to learn : )


 * What is the operating system you have the most experience with?

I have most experience in Windows (from versions 3.1 to 7) environments, especially when creating applications or games. Also, I have experience working in Unix/Linux (FreeBSD, Red Hat/Fedora, Ubuntu) environments, which I use almost exclusively for web-development. In the past, I have worked in the Mac OSX environment, creating a prototype serious game.


 * What are your favorites development languages/frameworks?

I personally like C/C++ the most, partly because that is what I grew up using, but also because I believe it offers better performance and use on different platforms compared to other languages. For web-development, I prefer PHP as I am often developing for Unix/Linux platforms. I also believe that sticking to one language is not good, a programmer should be flexible and knowledgeable in choosing the proper language for the platform and its intended use. One of the joys of being a programmer is learning new languages and the features they offer. As they say, "variety is the spice of life."

As a hobby game developer, I have used some graphic and game engines such as Torque, Unity, and Ogre 3D. I find them to be my most favoured and often-used frameworks. For web-development, I use various web API's such as Paypal and Google Maps & Calendar.


 * Did you contribute to free software projects already (code or other) ? (if yes, please include a link)

Currently I do not contribute to free software projects. I am not against being involved in such projects, but I find myself busy working on my own projects at the moment. I have considered making some of my projects open-source (on SourceForge, which I do have an account), but have yet to do so. This is an area that I am interested in learning more about.

- Object oriented development: I have used many OO-programming languages (e.g. C/C++, Java, C#, even Smalltalk). My programming always make use of modular, inherited, and reusable code. - git: I have not used git, but I use Subversion for all of my current projects. - Symfony: I have not used Symfony before. - Facebook/social network APIs: I have just started to learn the Facebook API as I am considering creating a Facebook app to help find restaurants. - Unit tests:  I do unit testing for my projects, using asserts and in the past jUnit. - Online communities: I am involved with Couch Surfing (www.couchsurfing.org), I have found it useful for travelling. - Games: Aside from creating them, I enjoying playing games (PC and console) of all types. I also love board games (e.g. Risk, Axis & Allies, Globetrotters) and play pen & paper games (e.g. D&D, D20 Modern, Shadowrun, Rolemaster) weekly. - SCRUM: I have never used SCRUM specifically, but have been involved in projects using Extreme Programming and iterative development processes.
 * What is your experience with the following