Cover Letters

Stormpulse

Job ad

I have been working as a GIS analyst for the City of Denton for the past 3 years, but my passion is software development. This summer I've been enhancing a Python program (https://github.com/dogtato/dbfutil) that I created a few years ago to replace a two-day process of updating data every month. The original program could perform the same task in a few hours, with only 15 minutes of set up. I decided to improve the program to refresh my skills and to create a great free tool that could supplement my resume. The current version of the program can accomplish the entire task in around 10 minutes, including setup.

When creating a program mostly from scratch, I have to constantly learn new things, and as the sole developer, I have to tackle every problem myself, no matter how daunting or baffling it is, because there's no one else to do it. One of the best parts of developing the program was transitioning from a Tkinter GUI to pygtk, which let me create a much more attractive, powerful, and usable interface.

I also enjoy creating documentation, because it easily saves more time and trouble than it takes. Frustrated with the bare-bones documentation ESRI has built into its software, I made a MediaWiki install on my website (http://dogtato.net/giswiki) and started using that to document different data and projects. I've always made it a point to document code well, whether it's a personal project, a homework assignment, or something meant for broader consumption.

My non-professional passion is Capoeira, the Brazilian art that is a blend of martial arts, dance, and gymnastics. I can't claim to be a master, or even an expert, but I do teach anyone I can find who's willing to learn. Unfortunately, the Denton area has very few people to practice with, which is part of why I want to move to Austin where there's a large community of Capoeiristas.

The word "Senior" in the job title suggests that you are looking for a certain level of experience. While I may not have the same quantity of experience as other potential candidates, I hope my code speaks well for me, and in my opinion, everything about the position (a love of developing, Python, GIS, Linux, smaller company, Austin) matches my skills and interests.