About

Introduction

Hi, my name is Craig Wardman - Software Development Consultant based in West Yorkshire, in the North of England. I am currently 39 years old and I have a wide range of hobbies & interests.

Software Development

It probably goes without saying, that I have an interest in software development. I studied a HND in Software Engineering at college followed by a BSc Hons in Software Development Applications at Bradford University, which I graduated in 2005 with 1st class honours. I enjoyed learning OOP principles using C++ and Java, and C++ was my language of choice for my final year project - which was a Windows based chat application built using the Win32 API. My knowledge of the Win32 API came from my other interest at the time, reverse engineering, which I self-studied online via various tutorials and the "Reverse Engineering Academy". Since then I have worked in several software development positions, using various development technologies but most of my career has been involved with building web applications on the Microsoft technology stack. My interest lies in the architecture, performance and "under-the-hood" elements of coding as opposed to UI/UX stuff, also in creating elegant solutions using the power of modern programming languages. You can read more about my career in software development on my curriculum vitae.

Cars & Driving

I also love cars, motorsport and performance driving. This has been a hobby of mine since a young age, I like to attend car shows, watch motorsport and appreciate nice cars whenever I can. I take an active interest in driving, such as completing my IAM advanced driving course and doing various track days in my own and other cars. I like to keep up with Formula 1 but I actually prefer the cars and sounds of WRC!

Taekwondo

I have been practicing Taekwondo with West Yorkshire Martial Arts Academy since 2006 and I am currently 3rd Dan black belt. I have always been interested in self-defence techniques but didn't study a martial art growing up. Starting late presents it's own challenges, but I enjoy the health and fitness benefits, acquiring the knowledge and dedication required to achieve a good standard and also the confidence it gives.

Health & Fitness

I am by no means a perfect example of fitness, but I do have an interest in learning and at least attempting to stay fit and healthy. I enjoy weight lifting, martial arts and trying out different routines such as HIIT training, body weight training or even pilates. I enjoy the intellectual side of learning the science behind the various techniques as much as (if not more) than the carrying out!

Russian

I have been learning the Russian language since around September 2012. This language has always intrigued me and after having met some Russian friends at college, who taught me some basics and introduced me to Cyrillic, I finally decided to study it further. I have only used self-teaching for this, a combination of YouTube videos, Android apps and reading websites to get me started and then communicating over social networks with native Russian speakers in a language exchange.

Self Improvement

This interest is difficult to describe, but stems originally from my research into health and fitness. Watching YouTube videos by inspirational creators about fitness that then crossed over into a broader sense of improving yourself both mentally and physically. This has lead me to do further research on related subjects such as philosophy, financial planning, ethics and reasoning etc. and generally taking an active interest in getting the most out of life.

Photography

Finally the last hobby/interest I can think to list (I said it was a wide variety). I think most people have an interest in photography to a certain extent, as everyone likes to see memories. For me I haven't gone as far as putting a lot of money into equipment, but I like to know about some basic techniques for framing the picture, adjusting the camera settings for different effects etc. just to try and capture what I want to portray.