Welcome to the personal site of Julian Ptak. Want to know more? This site is all about the Catholic outdoors adventurer, avid Chess player, obscure hobbiest and Software Engineer... parts of the whole that make up Julian Ptak.
If you're looking for a solutions-focused Software Engineer for your company, have a look at Julian's Resume.
Julian has a knowledge base that spans all layers of the stack. He has worked with front-end frameworks, content management systems, back-end frameworks, automated unit testing, server administration, various APIs, JavaScript transpilers, CSS pre-compilers, single page applications, and more.
Julian has years of experience writing clean, efficient and testable backend code. Whether writing vanilla PHP, building CMS-based websites with WordPress, utilizing various APIs to automate corporate processes, building microservices using middleware-based microframeworks, or developing in the MVC paradigm using frameworks like Zend Framework 3, Julian enjoys architecting efficient solutions to meet any client's specialized needs.
Content, styles and functionality are fundamental aspects of any web application. Julian is proficient in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Additionally, he has experience working with the TypeScript transpiler for JavaScript and the SASS pre-compiler for CSS. He develops responsive and feature-rich user interfaces and is always interested in learning new techniques and technologies to improve user experience.
Successful team-based development thrives on best practices. Julian is well-versed in the usage of version control, routinely utilizing tools such as BitBucket and Gitlab for various projects. He also enjoys conforming to coding standards like PSR. He is always eager to learn new design patterns and techniques to improve code quality.
True full-stack development implies a knowledge of the underlying host machine. Julian routinely utilizes Docker for building development environments for his various projects. He has proficency with Docker Compose and has implemented Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery services for projects to enhance efficiency within the development team and decrease human errors during code pushes.
Unit testing is an indespensible tool for any modern programmer. Along with providing an excellent source of code documentation, it helps any team member push code with confidence that none of the new code will break existing functionality. Julian has led the push on development teams to embrace unit testing as a necessary part of the development lifecycle. He has implemented testing both in Angular using Jasmine/Karma and also on the back-end using PHPUnit.
Julian's web experience goes well beyond responsive HTML emails and banners. He has built WordPress sites, vanilla PHP microsites, and enterprise-grade Angular SPAs that communicated with Zend Expressive APIs. Julian has an in-depth understanding of Zend Framework 2 and 3 as well as Apigility and Zend Expressive. Other projects included developing automation scripts to gather and organize data from Google Spreadsheets for other teams using the Google Drive/Spreadsheets API. Additionally, he has experience with APIs like Google Maps and Vimeo. Not sure where your project falls? Drop Julian a line for his two cents on your tech needs.
Technology is always changing. Keeping up with the ever shifting world of frameworks and programming languages requires professional tenacity. Julian has a history of picking up new technologies on the fly (learning Angular 5 in a week). He enjoys broadening his horizons and will happily jump into new toolsets with both feet to satisfy the needs of any project.