My Journey
I've been building software professionally since 2017, after transitioning from teaching computer science at the college level. That teaching background fundamentally shaped how I approach engineering—I believe in clear communication, systematic problem-solving, and creating environments where people can learn and grow.
Today, I help lead a team of 5-10 engineers in the retail media space, where we build backend platforms that power advertising and analytics at scale. My focus is on backend and platform engineering, with deep expertise in Spring Boot microservices, Azure cloud infrastructure, and system architecture. Recently, I led a major refactor that significantly stabilized one of our core systems—the kind of unglamorous but critical work that keeps platforms running reliably.
I'm passionate about three things: designing resilient systems, mentoring engineers who are earlier in their careers, and driving technical strategy that balances pragmatism with innovation.
Technical Expertise
Backend Engineering
Spring Boot microservices, RESTful API design, database design (MongoDB, PostgreSQL), performance optimization, and production system reliability
Cloud & Infrastructure
Azure (professionally), Linode (personal projects), Kubernetes orchestration, Docker containerization, and cloud-native architecture patterns
System Architecture
Microservices design, system refactoring, scalability planning, technical decision-making, and architectural trade-off analysis
AI & Emerging Tech
Integrating AI APIs into production systems, exploring LLMs and machine learning services, hands-on experimentation with new technologies
What Drives Me
My teaching background profoundly shapes how I lead and build software:
- Mentorship as Core Responsibility: Just as I once helped students understand algorithms and data structures, I now help junior engineers navigate production systems and architectural decisions. Teaching taught me that the best learning happens through doing, debugging, and thoughtful feedback.
- System Architecture as Craft: There's real satisfaction in designing systems that are elegant, maintainable, and resilient. I love the challenge of making the right trade-offs between complexity and simplicity, between perfect and good enough, between innovation and stability.
- Technical Strategy with Purpose: Good technical decisions compound over time. I focus on building platforms that will serve the business well not just today, but two years from now. That means thinking deeply about what we build, how we build it, and why.
- Learning Through Building: My MediaDroppy project exemplifies my belief in hands-on learning. You can read about Kubernetes, but deploying a real application teaches you the hard lessons about StatefulSets, persistent volumes, and service mesh complexity.
Current Focus
Right now, I'm focused on:
- Leading backend platform development for retail media advertising systems
- Mentoring engineers on my team through architecture design and code review
- Exploring AI integration patterns—how to effectively incorporate LLM APIs into production systems
- Continuously evolving MediaDroppy as a learning platform for Kubernetes and cloud-native patterns
- Sharing hard-won lessons through writing—the unglamorous reality of production systems
Let's Connect
I'm always interested in connecting with fellow engineers, tech leaders, and anyone passionate about building great software. You can find me on:
GitLab: gitlab.com/fullerrc
GitHub: github.com/fullerrc
Whether you want to discuss software architecture, share ideas about technical leadership, or just chat about the latest tech trends, feel free to reach out!