About Me

I’m Bret, a software engineer based in London.

I have spent most of my career building web applications using React, Node.js and TypeScript—though I am also interested in lower-level languages like Rust.

I wrote my first programming article 5 years ago and I have since written over 60 articles, mostly writing on Medium, but also on sites like CSS Tricks and Smashing Magazine.

This blog represents an attempt to take control of my content and build my own platform.

If you have any questions about the blog, want to give feedback on an article, want to discuss a guest-posting opportunity, or anything else, you can contact me here.

My career

I’m a self-taught developer and long-time computer nerd.

As a child, I remember trying to create websites based around the online games that I liked—mainly Runescape and World of Warcraft. I tried Wordpress, Adobe Dreamweaver and whatever no-code platforms were popular in the 2000s. I also spent a period trying to hack Flash games.

After four years studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University, I started learning to code in earnest in 2018.

Since graduating, I have primarily been working as a software engineer at YuLife, where I was fortunate to be one of the first full-time engineers on the team. YuLife is a insurtech company that uses gamification to help people live healthier lives. They raised $120m in their Series C round.

My go-to tech stack

Right now, my favourite framework for building websites is Next.js.

I’m a big fan of almost everything in the T3 Stack, except for the database layer, where I prefer MongoDB with Mongoose and Typegoose. This blog is built with a slimmed-down version of that tech stack.

Outside of coding

I’m currently learning to play the piano. I’m interested in lots of different types of music, from classical to EDM and lots in between, and I occasionally produce electronic music.

I’m an intermediate chess player looking to improve. I also enjoy cycling and swimming.