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Chris Sellek
Verified Expert in Engineering
JavaScript Developer
Raleigh, NC, United States
Toptal member since February 28, 2022
Bio
Chris has been in the software engineering industry for over ten years. He started as a QA and transitioned into web engineering. He specializes in front-end development with React, TypeScript, and Next.js. He has deployed new apps, created new processes and CI/CD pipelines, mentored junior developers, expanded on machine learning projects using TensorFlow to train models, and restructured automation test suites. Chris loves solving problems with code.
Portfolio
WillowTree
TypeScript, Next.js, Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress, TensorFlow, React...
Contract work
React, TypeScript, Material UI, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Redux, Express.js...
Dude Solutions
AngularJS, Karma, Node.js, CSS, HTML, MongoDB, Front-end Development...
Experience
- Front-end Development - 7 years
- JavaScript - 7 years
- Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) - 7 years
- Jest - 6 years
- SCSS - 6 years
- React - 4 years
- TypeScript - 4 years
- Next.js - 2 years
Preferred Environment
React, TypeScript, Next.js
The most amazing...
...project I've taken on was rewriting an internal, back-end app at WillowTree in TypeScript from Vanilla JS with Babel.
Work Experience
Staff Software Engineer
2018 - PRESENT
WillowTree
- Joined a new team and quickly noticed that the team was writing E2E tests that should have been unit tests. Helped restructure the automation test suite to rely more on unit testing rather than the more fragile and flaky E2E tests.
- Developed several patterns and/or helper functions for the development team at large to use to make their lives quicker and easier.
- Debugged several production issues, one of which was blocking a big push. Solved this particular bug in time for a big push.
- Ensured best practices were being followed throughout the app at large.
- Managed the CI/CD pipeline for the website for a large timeshare company.
- Assisted in creating new processes for a large timeshare company that allowed their customers to sign up for vacations and stays that were only possible over the phone previously.
- Mentored younger developers. Helped take one from being put onto a performance plan to getting them back on track. Taught another component-based frameworks as they only had previous experience with jQuery.
- Rewrote an internal server app from the ground up. Initially written in JavaScript and Babel, I figured out types as I went and converted it to a TypeScript Express.js server. Reworked the entire CI/CD pipeline to properly deploy the new app.
- Expanded on a number of machine learning professional development projects using TensorFlow to train various models.
- Spun up and deployed several web apps from scratch for professional development projects, including one that implemented a homegrown, secure sign-up/login process that utilized passport and Express.js.
Technologies: TypeScript, Next.js, Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress, TensorFlow, React, Continuous Deployment, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Node.js, CSS, HTML, MongoDB, Front-end Development, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Build Tools, Full-stack Development, Web, Axios, Fetch API, Accessibility, Lodash, Storybook, Enzyme, TeamCity, REST, Full-stack, MySQL
Web Developer
2019 - 2019
Contract work
- Worked with a financial advisor to build them a web app to help with their business.
- Spun up a front-end with React, TypeScript, and Redux. Deployed it via GCP's App Engine.
- Spun up an Express.js API with TypeScript. Deployed it via GCP's App Engine.
- GCP's Datastore was used as the API's NoSQL solution.
Technologies: React, TypeScript, Material UI, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Redux, Express.js, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), CSS, HTML, Front-end Development, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Build Tools, Full-stack Development, Web, Axios, Fetch API, Lodash, Azure DevOps, REST, Full-stack
Web Developer
2016 - 2017
Dude Solutions
- Worked with my team and our PO to design and then implement the structure of several website components using JavaScript on an AngularJS framework. Karma was used for unit tests.
- Worked with the QA Engineers on the squad to build out UI/E2E testing for each story.
- Helped train several developers. Most were junior devs, but one was a senior dev who hadn't used AngularJS before.
- Focused on the entire technology group (6 other teams) by attending Front-End Chapter meetings and helping flesh out the Front-End Chapter's backlog.
- Helped out people on other squads when they posted in group chat for help. Contributed to code quality by reviewing others' code and making comments or suggestions where necessary.
- Heavily involved in and passionate about recruiting efforts and the interview process. Ran technical interviews with other developers, attended a career fair, and evaluated interviewees' code.
Technologies: AngularJS, Karma, Node.js, CSS, HTML, MongoDB, Front-end Development, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Build Tools, Web, Axios, Fetch API, Lodash, REST
Web Developer
2015 - 2016
ReverbNation
- Worked with Ruby on Rails, Foundation, jQuery, and Angular on a number of web services offered by ReverbNation.
- Helped rewrite our artist profiles in AngularJS (from jQuery) with a new, responsive UI.
- Took on tickets as an individual contributor to help complete our two-week sprints.
Technologies: AngularJS, Ruby on Rails (RoR), jQuery, Foundation CSS, CSS, HTML, Front-end Development, Front-end Architecture, Web, Axios, Fetch API, Ruby, Ruby on Rails 4
Manual QA
2012 - 2015
ReverbNation
- Performed manual web testing in a weekly scrum environment, with some automation thrown in using Ruby and Selenium.
- Tested Musician Pages, a brand new account type on reverbnation.com for their release.
- Worked on updating a process by which ReverbNation users could add a personalized mobile app to the App Store, which included fully automating some work on Apple's iTunes Connect site using Ruby and Watir.
Technologies: Manual QA, UI Automation, Ruby
Experience
Personal Website
This is a Next.js site for my personal brand. I used Next.js, TypeScript, SCSS modules, and React to create it. I gathered inspiration for the look from Dribble. This one's more of a brochure site, so nothing fancy.
Lightweight npm Package
This lightweight npm package provides a quick and easy method for creating new references to fixture objects for testing in JavaScript and TypeScript. It's a 0-dependency npm package used on several projects at my current company for unit testing.
Mable-hash
A 0-dependency npm package for storing and iterating data in hash tables in TypeScript and JavaScript. Dealing with large amounts of data in TypeScript and JavaScript can get clunky. You have two options: Store the data in an array or store the data in a POJO (Plain Ol' JavaScript Object or a record in TypeScript-speak). This is where mable comes in. Mable smashes together the best of both worlds. Your data is stored in an object, which means you can manage the data by id or key quickly and easily. And an instance of the MableObject class comes with built-in loop helpers, just like JavaScript's native Array object. Your code stays clean and readable without the need for the drawbacks that either/or brings. Think of mable as a kind of new data structure.
Education
2006 - 2010
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
North Carolina State University - Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, jQuery, Node.js, Lodash, React Testing Library, TensorFlow
Tools
NPM, Karma, Front-end Build Tools, TeamCity
Languages
TypeScript, JavaScript, SCSS, CSS, HTML, Ruby
Frameworks
Next.js, Jest, AngularJS, Express.js, Material UI, Angular, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Redux, Ruby on Rails 4, Cypress, Foundation CSS
Paradigms
Continuous Deployment, Modular CSS, Azure DevOps, REST
Platforms
Web, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Storage
MongoDB, MySQL
Other
Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Computer Science, Data Structures, Manual QA, UI Automation, Front-end Development, Front-end Architecture, Full-stack Development, Axios, Fetch API, Storybook, Enzyme, Full-stack, WebSockets, Accessibility
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