Resume

Last Updated March 2024

After leaving a career in education, Jason joined the Information Systems and Technology team at Judson University. There, he learned to administer university systems and to communicate with customers. As time progressed, his team also utilized his skills in web and graphic design to further support the university’s needs.

Jason then made his way to The MX Group, administering systems and working with customers on a daily basis. In addition to his customer-facing work, Jason was also responsible for creating Powershell, Bash, and Python scripts that assist in automating processes within the department.

After picking up the development bug at Judson and The MX Group, Jason made his way to Dealer Inspire, starting as Trainer, Developer but was quickly reallocated as the team’s Full-Stack Developer. As Full-Stack Developer, Jason built several of the team’s websites, maintained the training team’s servers, and built and extended countless plugins. Following his Full-Stack Developer position, Jason joined the Dealer Inspire Websites team as a Software Engineer I. There, he started by updating, upgrading, and maintaining dealer websites. Then in May 2023, Jason moved to a new team where he was responsible for building new products, new features, and resolving bugs within various other products.

Outside of work, Jason enjoys spending time with his daughter Eleanor, picking up new hobbies (currently coffee, photography, and looping back to an interest in everyday carry), playing video games (Xbox and Steam Deck), closely following technology news — mostly via podcast (Accidental Tech Podcast, Connected, and The Vergecast), and listening to Actual Play Podcasts (The Adventure Zone, Dungeons & Daddies, and Dimension 20).

Education

Master of Science

Education in Literacy

June 2016

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois

Bachelor of Science

Elementary Education

May 2013

Northern Illinois University

DeKalb, Illinois

Skills

Sections are Ordered Most Experienced to Least

Languages

PHP
JavaScript
JQuery
HTML
CSS
Bash
React.js
Python
PowerShell

Platforms

Mac OS
iOS & iPadOS
Windows Desktop
Ubuntu Server
Ubuntu Desktop
Windows Server

Software

PhpStorm
Docker
SourceTree (git)
VSCode
Figma
Affinity Designer
Affinity Photo
PyCharm
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe XD
Parallels
VirtualBox

Systems

Wordpress
Atlassian
G-Suite
Linode
Trello
Digital Ocean
Amazon Web Services
Office 365
Jamf Pro
Active Directory

Professional Experience

Software Engineer I

December 2022 - March 2024

Dealer Inspire (CARS Commerce)

Chicago, Illinois

Participated in AGILE project management methodology that was used to help guide my team’s development processes
Reviewed and provided feedback on pull requests (PRs) to ensure code quality and adherence to standards
Created PRs to resolve tickets and propose enhancements and/or fixes
Participated in discussions within and without teams to resolve code change requests during the PR process
Maintained and upgraded first-party Wordpress plugins by simplifying code and integrating new code to enhance the tools’ functionality
Applied problem-solving skills to troubleshoot and resolve issues with first-party tools
Developed custom first-party tools to address specific needs and enhance company and client productivity
Designed and constructed dealer pages to improve customer experience and facilitate sales
Managed digital assets efficiently using AWS, ensuring accessibility and security
Applied object-oriented programming (OOP) principles to build scalable and maintainable code
Established and maintained local development environments using Docker, BitBucket, and BASH
Produced comprehensive documentation for team plugins and tools
Contributed to cross-team documentation efforts
Communicated with stakeholders and addressed support tickets using the Atlassian suite of tools
Collaborated across departments and teams to build and maintain tools and sites

Full-Stack Developer, Training

October 2019 - December 2022

Dealer Inspire (Cars.com)

Naperville, Illinois

Mentored a junior developer
Implemented AGILE into the department's development team
Cloned and adapted the department's original wordpress site into a secondary site to address a more focused audience
Developed a customized registration and membership flow using Gravity Forms, LearnDash, and custom plugins
Built python scripts to process data provided to the department by third parties
Managed multiple web servers as Wordpress and Server admin
Implemented a consistent wordpress and server upgrade schedule while maintaining a secure backup method in the event an upgrade caused issues with the websites
Built various plugins that were used to automate tasks away from team members to free up their availability
Assisted in the hiring process of multiple team members
Assisted in the leadership of the team during a four-month period without a manager on the team
Operated autonomously during the interim period, setting priorities and executing on them, while meeting self-imposed deadlines in order to best support the team
Lead the implementation of AGILE across the team to assist with the New Manager's onboarding and management of team priorities
Lead the planning and development of a full, site-wide upgrade to a 2.0 version of our core website that did away with outdated processes, plugins, and themes
built a new, premium site for the department from the ground up in order to serve a push to develop a new revenue stream for the company using lessons learned from the 2.0 build
Collaborated with the Marketing Department and team members to implement a team rebrand and ultimately lead the implementation of the rebrand on the team's sites
Adapted the core website's new theme in order to create white-labeling opportunities for other internal products to educate their stakeholders using our site as a backbone

Systems Support Technician

February 2019 - October 2019

The Mx Group

Burr Ridge, Illinois

Lead the research and gathering of information for an business-wide security training program
Created documentation for processes within the business and department
Wrote various scripts in Powershell, Bash, and Python to streamline and automate processes within the department
Assisted users with software and hardware troubleshooting
Prepared equipment for deployment to new employees
Monitored server hardware for faults and other issues
Maintained stock levels and the organization of department technology and equipment
Assisted with purchasing research and decisions

Help Desk Support Specialist

June 2017 - February 2019

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois

Trained users in how to use university technology
Administered University Systems
Designed, built, and updated websites using HTML, CSS, WordPress, and Ektron
Built, repaired, and maintained Mac and Windows computers
Troubleshot Mac, Windows, and Linux issues
Assisted with the building of University policies
Maintained and upgraded the university's network
Effectively communicated instructions to users to resolve issues remotely
Built custom graphics for department and university use
Assisted with audio and video production during university events
Managed the research and acquisition of telepresence equipment for academic use
Trained and managed student workers
Answered help desk phone calls and tickets following department standards
Responsible for level one and two helpdesk support
Assisted with a campus-wide deployment of an Asterisk phone system
Maintained a FreePBX (Asterisk) phone system
Monitored critical infrastructure and escalated as needed
Assisted with a campus-wide deployment of Windows 10

Fifth Grade Teacher

August 2022 - June 2017

John Muir Literacy Academy

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Taught all subjects in a self-contained classroom, with special emphasis on integrating technology into literacy and the content subjects of social studies and science
Administered and analyzed data from MAP and PARCC tests

Fourth Grade Teacher

August 2013 - June 2016

Southbury Elementary School

Oswego, Illinois

Member of the school's Technology Committee
Installed Apple TVs in every classroom in the building
Gave multiple presentations to staff members about how to integrate iOS and Apple TVs into their classrooms to enhance student learning
Taught all subjects in a self-contained classroom, with special emphasis on integrating technology into literacy and the content subjects of social studies and science
Administered and analyzed data from ISAT, MAP, PARCC, and STAR test

Personal Experience

Speaking Engagements

2014

Illinois Reading Conference

2015

Illinois Reading Conference

2016

Illinois Reading Conference

Literacy In Motion

Starved Rock Reading Council

Personal Projects

TechRegular

Jason's regular-person technology blog where he tried to present more complex technology to people who weren't as absorbed into technology as he is. The blog is currently on extended hiatus but blogging is certainly in Jason's future.

Think Bigg Consulting

Think Bigg Consulting is Jason's consulting entity. Primarily, the company facilitates the design and development of individual or small business websites and branding. The company also consults on other IT related topics if needs arise. This project is no longer active.

Awesumsawz Gaming

Awesumsawz Gaming was Jason's first official attempt to make it into the technology industry in his previous career as an educator. Jason streamed and podcasted under the Awesumsawz brand for about eight months before ending the effort in favor of focusing on his family.

Hobbies & Interests

Photography
Graphic Design
Productivity
Consumer Technology
Computer Building
Gaming
Mechanical Keyboards
Reading
Everyday Carry
Guitar & Bass
Cable Management
Coffee