Hi there, I'm Jess Archer — a full-stack web application developer from Brisbane, Australia!

I didn't get off to the best start in programming or academics. I failed Object Pascal (Delphi) at school, before having an argument with the headmistress and getting "asked to leave" high school. It turns out I don't do too well with formal education and authority figures. But armed with my 56K modem, I got online and discovered my place in the world. I learned HTML by making a Red Dwarf fansite using Claris Home Page, which I hosted on Geocities. And I spent my days on IRC where I learned programming by "scripting" my IRC client. I then discovered PHP4 and haven't looked back.

It's now over 15 years, and I've been fortunate to work on some pretty interesting projects, including a chemical warehouse management system, a POS system, a telephone robot, a crypto trading robot, and even software for the police. I'm currently working in med-tech, I co-host a programming podcast, and have spoken at two Laracons.

I am passionate about open-source software, privacy, best practices, user experience, and developer experience. My favourite stack these days is Laravel, Vue, and Tailwind.

When I'm not coding (and sometimes when I am) I like to eat spicy food, drink dark beer, ride fast motorcycles, and listen to heavy music.