About Me
A little about who I am and how I think
Hey, I’m Nathan 👋
I’m a Computer Science student at Lawrence Technological University, a WordPress developer at Perfect Afternoon, and someone who genuinely enjoys understanding how things work under the hood.
I’ve always been curious about how things are put together. As a kid, that meant taking apart electronics and computers just to see what was inside. That curiosity never went away. It simply turned into writing code and building systems.
Today, that same mindset shows up in my work across web development, infrastructure, and applied AI research. Whether I’m debugging a WooCommerce checkout flow or training a model to anticipate events in video streams, I’m always asking the same question: how does this actually work?
A bit of background
Shanghai Years
When I was nine, my family moved to Shanghai, China. Living abroad from 2014 to 2017 shaped how I approach new environments. It taught me adaptability, curiosity, and comfort with the unfamiliar, lessons that still guide how I work today.
The Minecraft Era
What began as hosting game servers for friends eventually became running a global community with thousands of players. I managed infrastructure, wrote plugins, coordinated a small team, and handled real revenue. It was my first real lesson in systems thinking and ownership.
COVID and Community
During the pandemic, I found a strong online community of developers. We learned together, collaborated, and pushed each other to improve. That period accelerated my growth more than anything else, and showed me how much community matters.
Finding My Place
I joined Perfect Afternoon in June 2022, and it has been an ideal environment for growth. Working with real clients on real problems, alongside a team that values quality, has shaped me into a stronger and more thoughtful developer.
The human side
How I Work
I’m comfortable working independently or collaborating closely with a team. What matters most to me is building something we can stand behind.
Quality Over Speed
I’d rather take the time to understand a problem properly than rush a quick fix. Clean solutions age better than shortcuts.
Always Learning
I don’t believe there’s a finish line in this field. There is always a better pattern, a clearer approach, or a new idea to explore, and that’s what keeps me motivated.
What I Work With
The tools and technologies I rely on to build and maintain real systems.
WordPress & Web
Frontend
Backend
Infrastructure
Security
Machine Learning
Principles I work by
Understand Before You Build
I focus on fully understanding a problem before writing code. Clear thinking upfront prevents wasted effort later.
Think End to End
Code is not finished until it can be deployed, monitored, and maintained. I care about the full lifecycle of what I build.
Be Honest About Gaps
Growth starts with admitting what you do not know. I value asking questions and learning over pretending to have all the answers.
Interested in working together?
Whether it’s a job opportunity, a collaboration, or just a conversation about tech, I’m always happy to connect with people who care about building quality things.