Zach's Portfolio Website

What I do

Management

What sets me apart from many other developers is that I've been managing my own stores on various marketplaces and e-commerce platforms for 25 years. I have a real need to understand what changes to make on a website from the perspective of a business owner.

Development

In addition to web development with HTML, CSS, and Javascript to make websites from scratch, fixing issues and adding new features to existing websites, I also do Shopify store development. I build new Shopify stores for anyone who wants to start selling to a global audience.

Consulting

I can do anything from making small changes to your store or website, consulting on the business end, teaching you how to do things yourself, various optimizations such as SEO, or even just doing everything for you so you can focus on other aspects of your business.

My work

Who I am

Web Developer in Japan

After graduating from university with a degree in Economics & International Business and Mathematics minor, I went on a little e-commerce excursion, surviving on the income from my eBay store. I had been fascinated with e-commerce from an early age, starting out on ebay at 10 years old with the help and support of my father.

I moved to Japan in 2016 for what was supposed to be a gap year of teaching English but turned into 7 years of living in Japan! I passed the most difficult level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT N1), got an English teaching certification, helped an English school start-up as the head teacher, and did a lot of translation work. But I finally realized I needed some kind of solid skill that is in high demand. That's where web development came in.

In the summer of 2021 a couple of my software engineering friends in Texas told me to try out some lessons on Free Code Camp. Two FCC certifications later, a semester of Computer Science online from my college in Texas, and getting though half of the curriculum of a self-paced coding bootcamp, and I started out as a freelance web developer.

In June of 2023 I got out of the English teaching industry and after about 10 weeks of full-time study I got a job offer as a full-time Software Engineer at a small tech company here in Japan! I've been in the company since October 1st. Now I'm enjoying a wonderful life, working fully remote and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for me.

I'm learning a lot at the new job and I'm continuing to do my own studies and work on personal projects in my free time. So, if you have a million dollar app idea, something you want to collaborate on, or work you need done, feel free to drop me a message. I'm also available to mentor people who are trying to get into the tech industry. I will be documenting my coding journey and giving tips & advice on my new YouTube channel

New technologies I've learned on the job: React, Material UI, AWS CLI, AWS API Gateway, Dynamo DB, React Native, Next.js

Contact me and let's work together!