Hi. I'm Edward, a web application developer based in beautiful Nova Scotia, Canada.
I have been a web application developer since 2018. I can do both front-end and back-end development, yet never together. Funny, eh?
My family is from British Hong Kong, where I am originally from. We immigrated together to Canada when I was a kid. The main reasons we relocated were due to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.
I am grateful that my parents brought me here, rather than anywhere else. Having spent much of my life here, I'm proud to call myself Canadian, and a Nova Scotian.
My Journey as a Developer
I've immersed myself in the world of web application development since 2018, tackling both front-end and back-end projects, though never at the same time. Funny, right?
My path to coding wasn’t exactly traditional. In 2016, I made a bold career pivot after over a decade in client-facing roles across industries like car rental, food service, and banking. That chapter honed my interpersonal and problem-solving skills, which I now bring to every development project.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I was laid off, I saw an opportunity to create something meaningful. My friend Charles and I launched Bursity, a startup with a mission to simplify access to scholarships and break down barriers to higher education for marginalized communities. That experience was a crash course in entrepreneurship, innovation, and resilience. Today, I’m channelling those lessons into building up Data For Good Maritimes as its Chapter Lead, while working full-time in the AdTech space at Mediaocean. Previously, I was with Imposium, which was acquired by Mediaocean in August 2022.
I’m a lifelong learner, always exploring new frameworks, languages, and tools to sharpen my skills. This very site is a testament to that spirit. It’s built with NextJs, styled with Material UI, and powered by Contentful as the CMS. I used VS Code for development, managed version control via GitHub, and handled deployment with CloudFlare.
Every step of my journey has been a blend of curiosity, adaptability, and a drive to create. Whether I’m developing, leading, or learning, I’m always ready for the next challenge.
I am also the Event Organizer for DEFCON Halifax and the Chapter Lead for Data For Good Maritimes.
Each month, I reach out to potential speakers to share their expertise and knowledge with the Halifax cybersecurity community and those interested in cybersecurity with the ability to network and build connections.
As the Data For Good Chapter lead, I build connections between us and other non-profit organizations across the Maritimes and look for opportunities to help them harness the power of their data to make more informed and better decisions in their quest to make their communities flourish.
I have been the Treasurer of Dartmouth Toastmasters for over six years, where I'm honing my public speaking, communication, and leadership skills.
I spend time expanding my knowledge of web development or anything tech-related.
Outside of that, you will find me serving and giving back to my community as a Volunteer First Responder with St. John Ambulance NS/PEI where I was nominated and later accepted into the Order of St. John, Priory of Canada, or riding my motorcycle around Nova Scotia during the warmer months, and try to make the world a little better where ever I go.
