Publication
The 10 Most Common Mistakes That WordPress Developers Make
https://www.toptal.com/developers/wordpress/top-wordpress-development-mistakes
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Andrew Schultz
Verified Expert in Engineering
Web Developer
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Toptal member since July 11, 2016
Bio
Andrew is an Australian engineer with a passion for travel. He's a highly capable professional specializing in WordPress with the ability to offer extensive technical expertise coupled with outstanding communication skills. His strengths include the ability to rapidly become familiar with new business processes and systems. Andrew has over a decade of experience working as an app developer across the full project lifecycle.
Portfolio
FitnessFAQs
Page Speed Optimization, Mailchimp API, YouTube API, CSS, PHP 7
SAI Global
WooCommerce
Breathe
aXcelerate, jQuery, PHP, Stripe, WooCommerce Subscriptions 2, WooCommerce...
Experience
- WordPress - 8 years
- WordPress Plugins - 8 years
- PHP - 8 years
- WooCommerce - 5 years
- jQuery - 4 years
- APIs - 4 years
- Plugins - 4 years
- LearnDash - 2 years
Preferred Environment
WooCommerce, Bootstrap, WordPress
The most amazing...
...thing I've done was to build a website using a custom purposed theme with no plugins. It allows users to compare travel destinations around the world.
Work Experience
Full-stack Developer
2020 - 2020
FitnessFAQs
- Page speed optimization using locally hosted scripts, fonts, and integrated CDN for blistering fast page load times.
- Integrated YouTube API to automatically download user's YouTube channel videos including play count, feature image. Embedded videos and used modal windows to display them using AJAX to prevent page reloads.
- Integrated MailChimp API for sign-up forms using AJAX to make the sign-up process more integrated and slick.
- Worked on AJAX quiz integration using ACF to customize an unlimited number of questions. Quiz result returned a list of recommended products that could then add to their cart.
- Optimized checkout workflow for purchasing products and automatically redirecting user to their recently purchased training programs (custom WooCommerce emails to customers).
Technologies: Page Speed Optimization, Mailchimp API, YouTube API, CSS, PHP 7
eCommerce Developer
2019 - 2020
SAI Global
- Created an eCommerce solution for US and UK operations. Implemented designs into a custom theme for optimized page load speeds.
- Migrated websites onto the Pantheon hosting platform.
- Worked on the training portal for distributors to sign up for educational courses.
Technologies: WooCommerce
Web Developer
2016 - 2020
Breathe
- Developed a student course selector page that was integrated with an external student software system to allow users to enroll and pay for a subscription-based pilates education service.
- Customized a WooCommerce subscriptions integration to enable varied scheduled payment plans based on a student's prior educational completion.
- Dramatically improved the website's load times by implementing deferred script loading, compressed images, caching, and CDN services.
- Cleaned the website of malicious code and added anti-hacking measures by incorporating Securi and various other WordPress security hardening measures after a site hack.
- Converted the site to use the security of SSL encryption to protect user login credentials from being viewed.
- Created a course calendar via API calls from an external software system to display an aggregated view of student deadlines and attendance dates. This prevented the duplicate of static course information as it could be sourced from one repository.
- Scheduled functions utilizing a real CRON service and not the default WordPress schedule service which relies on users visiting the site to trigger the scheduler.
Technologies: aXcelerate, jQuery, PHP, Stripe, WooCommerce Subscriptions 2, WooCommerce, Infusionsoft, WordPress
Web Developer
2017 - 2017
Chris Sajnog
- Fixed the formatting of various elements and page layouts using CSS.
- Troubleshot and resolved a myriad of issues regarding subscriptions, messaging, plugin conflicts, and site load times.
- Reduced the number of plugins used on the site by 20% by replacing the bloated plugin solutions with succinct, lean, and custom-coded solutions.
- Created custom login pages and order redirects based on users' shopping cart items and membership levels.
- Integrated a messaging system for group discussions on the WordPress posts.
- Created a "Save the Sale" feature through custom code allowing members to be offered a months free subscription is they decided not to cancel.
Technologies: HTML, CSS, jQuery, PHP, WordPress
Lead WordPress Developer
2014 - 2017
Early Childhood Australia
- Converted a static HTML eCommerce site into a dynamic, WooCommerce powered platform with the ability to sell physical, virtual, and subscription items.
- Created personalized PDF terms and conditions upon the purchase of electronically distributed teaching materials.
- Performed regular testing and scheduling of WordPress plugin and core updates.
- Developed a custom shipping plugin to meet the business requirements of the client.
- Implemented a booking system to allow the selling of ticketed educational events around the country.
- Performed a seamless integration of additional customer demographic details into the customer's account page.
Technologies: WooCommerce, MySQL, jQuery, PHP, WordPress, WordPress Plugins
Web Developer
2016 - 2016
Innovize
- Created a website called "Send a Friend" which enabled users to send colleagues a gift. Customers are sent an email/SMS with a coupon for a complimentary item that they can redeem at the merchant it was purchased for.
- Integrated with the Twilio API for sending SMS to recipients informing them of their free gift.
- Generated QR coupons via PassKit that are used to redeem the gift in store.
- Developed a Bootstrap popup window that captures recipient demographics. This was added to the shopping cart via AJAX and form validation ensured all the required fields were entered.
- Stored custom checkout field data in the order and modified the checkout page to include all the recipient data to validate the gift was being sent to the correct details.
Technologies: PassKit, Bootstrap, Twilio API, PHP, jQuery, Ajax, WordPress
Analyst Programmer
2006 - 2016
Department of Health and Aging
- Developed a password reset tool used across the entire government department in ASP.NET. Implemented a system that resulted in a significant reduction in the call volume to the help desk regarding this issue.
- Created a suite of level 2 help desk tools in C# to assist in common mundane tasks replacing a UNIX command line interface with a Windows GUI.
- Designed and built in C# a real-time queue monitoring system to monitor interface messaging processing. This resulted in a decrease in the time taken to resolve interface errors and troubleshoot any issues as a result of these failed messages.
- Built C# DLL libraries to enable the viewing of patient radiology images on a state wide patient administration system. This enabled the consolidation of patient medical records resulting in doctors being able to make better clinical decisions based on previous imaging results.
- Configured and customized a $40 million dollar state-wide clinical system called EPAS. My duties included the creation of a custom functionality for the administration of chemotherapy treatment and integrating legacy system data to allow access to historical patient medical records.
Technologies: Messaging, HL7, XML, Unix, Crystal Reports, ASP.NET, Transact-SQL (T-SQL), Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server, Windows Forms (WinForms), C#.NET
Business Analyst
2004 - 2005
HSBC Bank
- Identified and resolved work place bottlenecks by creating software to automate and optimization procedures.
- Extracted and manipulated the IBM AS/400 and access database data utilizing VB software to provide real-time acquisition volumes. Previous reporting tools could only provide figures with a 24-hour lag on volume amounts.
- Formulated and implemented the “Referrals Direct” lead and data tracking system to replace an existing software system. The enhancement of the system led to a 40% increase in acquired volumes.
- Created a Windows forms lead dialing software for numerous operations resulting in significant increases in DPA compliance and productivity of agents. This system removed the need for a paper-based business.
- Implemented a secured home loan’s application form. This replaced a previously manual operation, and cut processing time significantly. Secured business was amplified by 240% after its implementation.
Technologies: AS/400, Microsoft Access, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Visual Basic
Experience
Travel Signals
A travel website that allows you to compare multiple destinations for the best time to visit a city. It uses Bootstrap for CSS, Google Maps API for locations, Unsplash API for displaying city photos, and web scraping for grabbing city demographics and statistics.
Breathe Education
An online eLearning portal and course sales platform for Pilates.
Have I Bean
Showcasing the best places to eat, drink, work and play around the world. Receive push and email notifications about suggested places for you to visit daily. Check in to places to compete against others in your area to see who can visit the most places. Get awarded badges to boast to your friends about your local knowledge and experiences of the cities you've visited.
Early Childhood Australia
An online portal producing innovative and essential early childhood material. I converted the site onto a WooCommerce eCommerce platform and integrated subscriptions, ticket sales for events, and purchase of virtual and physical educational materials.
Chris Sajnog
A community of like-minded individuals who gather here to receive regular training videos, join hangouts, and chat to peers in the team room to benefit from ongoing training into handling weapons.
Laptop Friendly Cafes
https://laptopfriendlycafe.comFind laptop-friendly cafes near you at the touch of a button. The website automatically detects your location and displays laptop-friendly cafes in your area. It uses Google Places API, Tailwind CSS for styling, and MapBox for the location maps.
We've curated lists of cities around the world for the best laptop-friendly cafes. Find the best laptop-friendly cafes near you that cater to digital nomads, freelancers, and professionals.
We've curated lists of cities around the world for the best laptop-friendly cafes. Find the best laptop-friendly cafes near you that cater to digital nomads, freelancers, and professionals.
ProSwine
https://proswine.com.au/Mobile-first eCommerce rebranding that has many customizations like a custom product Wishlist plugin, payment gateway, streamlined checkout experience, and REST APIs to sync product inventory with Oracle NetSuite. I also built a custom theme from Figma designs.
Nikki Higgins Well-Being (NHWB)
Delivered complete well-being programs for businesses, communities, and events. I also worked on a subscription portal for viewing training videos and an online booking system for booking private sessions and events. I used WooCommerce and Stripe.
Education
1998 - 2003
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Adelaide University - Adelaide, Australia
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Stripe, jQuery, Stripe API, Windows Forms (WinForms), YouTube API, Mailchimp API, Twilio API, Google Geocoding API, Google Maps API, Google Places API, Infusionsoft API, Facebook SDK, X (formerly Twitter) API, REST APIs
Tools
LearnDash, Mailchimp, Microsoft Access, Crystal Reports, Infusionsoft, Git, Bitbucket
Languages
PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, C#, HTML5, Visual Basic, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), C#.NET, Transact-SQL (T-SQL), XML, PHP 7, Sass, CSS3
Paradigms
XP, UI Design
Platforms
WooCommerce, WordPress, WordPress Theme Design, AS/400, Unix, aXcelerate, Pantheon, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Linux, cPanel
Frameworks
Bootstrap, ASP.NET, PassKit, Genesis Framework, Tailwind CSS
Storage
MySQL, Sybase, WP Engine, Microsoft SQL Server
Other
Plugins, WordPress Plugins, Theme Development, Learning Management Systems (LMS), WooCommerce Subscriptions 2, Wamp, APIs, Ajax, Web Development, Back-end, WordPress Optimization, Performance Optimization, Appointment Booking, Payment APIs, Stripe Payments, Google Analytics 4 (GA4), HL7, Messaging, Page Speed Optimization, HTML5 Video, WordPress Design, WordPress Themes, PSD to WordPress, Web Scraping, eCommerce, Mobile-first Design, Mobile First, Booking Systems
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