Background

Hello Moto

My professional journey began with five years as a Technical Support Agent for Motorola. It was my first real lesson in communication; I learned how to translate dense, technical concepts into plain English for people who did not want a lecture — just a solution that actually worked. In other words, I learned that it’s fine to be clever, but being useful is even better.

Where Empathy Became Practice

After Motorola, I spent time in Ethiopia volunteering with a charity for abandoned children with disabilities. As a community organiser, I helped plan daily routines, kept financial records in order, and supported the relocation and renovation of the charity house. What mattered most to me was showing up with commitment and compassion, simply to help where I could. That experience continues to shape the way I work as an engineer: I stay user-focused, take ownership, and stay motivated by meaningful impact rather than recognition.

The Mise en Place of Code

I later moved into professional kitchens, where I developed a proper appreciation for order, preparation, and efficiency. When I traded the chef’s knife for a keyboard, I kept that same mise en place mindset — because when things get busy, a clean, well-prepared codebase makes all the difference. In practice, that means I value modular code, clear boundaries, and maintainable structure. Basically: fewer surprises, less stress, better outcome.

Engineering Beyond the Brief

I do not just meet briefs — I like to give them a bit of a workout. My current academic performance, averaging over 80%, reflects how seriously I take the details.

The Scythe Project: When I was given a simple CMD terminal game brief, I took the scenic route and spent 300+ hours building a terminal-based version of Scythe board game. That meant creating a custom rendering system and a modular architecture spread across 160+ files. It’s not about showing off — it’s about learning and pushing myself to see how far I can go.

Efficiency Under Pressure: I may prefer modern frameworks like React, but I still respect the fundamentals. When challenged to build a full-stack PHP/SQL/Vanilla JS site, I delivered the whole thing — including server-side validation — in just 5 days.

The Street-Level Hustle

I also work part-time as a rickshaw rider in Edinburgh, which keeps me sharp in the best possible way. It is a crash course in reading people fast, understanding what they need, and delivering the kind of service that leaves them happy — and usually a bit more generous than they planned. It keeps me fit too, which is a decent bonus when your job is basically getting paid to do cardio and talk to people.

The Next Milestone: Industry Placement

My goal now is to bridge the gap between my freelance background and enterprise-level engineering. I am looking for a one-year industry placement where I can contribute to a real codebase while learning from experienced engineers.

I bring a mix of technical grit, empathy, and systems thinking — shaped by CodeClan, Napier, tech support, freelancing, and high-pressure real-world work.

I am an approachable developer who likes building things that work well and mean something. The stack may change, but the goal stays the same: pick a target, stay focused, and get it done.