Szymon Kowalski is a software developer seeking new opportunities. He has a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Birmingham with First Class Honours and technical skills in languages like Java, C++, SQL, and frameworks like jQuery. He has work experience developing online training systems and an app for commuting. Szymon is self-motivated and driven to solve problems creatively as shown through his independently developed Flash game. He aims to grow his career by working on ambitious projects within an innovative team.

1. Szymon Kowalski
skowalskidev@gmail.com | uk.linkedin.com/in/kowalskidev | 07519001331
55 Roman Way, B15 2SL, Birmingham
Personal Accomplishments
Software Development Portfolio
 kowalskidev.wix.com/portfolio
Education and qualifications
September
 2015 – 2019 The University of Birmingham
o BSc Computer Science with a Year in Industry Predicted First-Class Honours
 2013 – 2015 Dominican College, Portstewart
o A Level : Mathematics A* | Information and Communications Technology A | Physics B | Chemistry B
 2008 – 2013 St. Joseph’s College, Coleraine
o GCSE & BTEC : 2 A* | 5 A | Distinction* and Distinction
Technical Skills
 Java & Java EE
o Capable of writing games and making use of the Model/View/Controller architecture.
o Writing servlets & communicating with the database.
 C++
o Studying in spare time & aiming to make use of its high performance in mobile platform projects.
o Used to assist with various University assignments e.g. pathfinding prototype.
 SQL, jQuery, AJAX, HTML & CSS
o Experience in both front and back end development of large scale employee training and management
online systems for the Wilmott Dixon construction company (Colonel Duck client).
 Actionscript 3
o Programming Flash games since 2012 (refer to linked portfolio) & porting projects onto Android.
 Haskell & OCaml
o Comfortable with designing and programming algorithms under performance restrictions.
 Git
o I am proficient in using this tool and have done so at University and during my internship at Colonel Duck.
 Adobe Illustrator & Audacity
o Creating vector graphics & editing sound files for personal projects.
Work experience
Colonel Duck June - September (2016)
 I‘ve learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, AJAX and SQL from scratch within this period to the level of competency
where I was very comfortable in switching between all languages and using them in collaboration to create structured
solutions to more demanding features.
 Together with one of my colleagues we designed a new system architecture for an online video training library which
incorporates features such as user accounts with varied levels of access, an administrator dashboard, comments
under video content, a collection of favorite learning materials and others. In order to do so we researched the best
practices for database design and together formed ideas to converge to an optimal solution.
 Another crucial skill I had the chance to develop was understanding other developers' code to build upon and debug,
this was achieved through close communication.

2. Birmingham Project June, 2 weeks (2016)
 2 Weeks of full time team work with students from a variety of disciplines with the focus of developing an innovative
prototype for an app to make daily commuting more enjoyable.
 At the end of the project I gained confidence in team communication, presentation & idea development skills as well
as sincere friends from other cultures.
McDonalds (Part-Time) February - October (2014)
 Earning revenue to sponsor my passion for motorcycles & balancing A Level studies with employment
British Heart Foundation (Part-Time) August - October (2012)
 Meeting interesting people and collaboratively solving instantaneous issues.
Self-motivation and drive to succeed
 Developing "Supermarket Zombies", a flash game over two years has been a milestone I am very proud of. I am an
autodidact developer and had architected the concepts, design, code, graphics and edited sounds which enabled me to
hone a variety of skills. After completing the project I marketed Supermarket Zombies to many sponsors, the demo video
on my linked portfolio was one of the mediums I used to promote my work.
 Focusing on completion and retaining commitment was challenging during marketing which deviates from my passion that
is programming. Other development processes that also enriched my creativity skill set were: learning to create vector
graphics and edit sounds for the first time. I had also invested funds into user feedback which proved successful in
displaying the initial user competence based on which I enacted appropriate changes.
Initiative and creative problem solving
 Programming has enriched my problem solving skills with each self-driven project I developed. My perception of the
environment has also been broadened through studying how the programmed data processing structures may
unexpectedly alter the data flow, when not all scenarios have been considered. This yielded improvement in my attention
to detail and problem analysis from many perspectives.
 I undertook extra research to produce effective and efficient software components during inadequate performance
encounters such as processing large quantities of visual objects.
Further motivation and ambitions
 I plan on growing my career as a programmer within a firm, enacting creative solutions, developing myself in new
directions, deepening my strengths and problem solving within a talented team of developers, collaboratively working on
ambitious projects for demanding clients.
 Creating programs that incorporate innovative features and improvements has been exciting since I was an inexperienced
programmer and I am constantly developing this way of thinking. I am passionate about code quality and inspired by
leading edge technology and optimized software, being part of this advancement by honing my expertise has been my
ambition since I began programming as a young boy.
 Cognition is instantiated by will which in turn may be provoked by inspiration and a target, for me programming within an
exciting & diverse environment is this fundamental target.
Adaptability
 I was born in Poland and immigrated to Northern Ireland in 2005 at the age of 9, knowing only a phrase "Sorry, but I don't
understand" learned before beginning the first day at Primary School. I was able to make friends instantly and converse
fluently in English within a year.
Inspirational disciplines
 Sport and supermoto motorcycles are a major subject of interest in my life, I am working towards purchasing my own
machine and developing technical riding skills.
 Since I was a teenager I also constructed radio-controlled airplanes from scratch and acquired remote flying abilities.