Vincent Costa

Software Engineer

My love for computers

My first encounter with computers was when I took apart my Xbox 360 when I was 12 with my dad. I enjoyed it so much I would take it apart regularly for fun. I started to take apart other things, computers, watches, phones, watched computer build guides and even upgraded our home PC. When I was 15 I built my first computer after getting a job. This is when I took my first computer science class in high school.

High School and College

After taking my first computer science class which focused on Java, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I took every course related to computers there, chip design, robotics, web design and loved all of it. One of the brand new courses there was CS4 which focused on front and back end development using Node.js. It was in this course I realized I wanted to be a full stack developer. Shortly after graduating high school I attended Palomar College and was majoring in computer science. During this time I started my own business, ServiceLink LLC, with a couple of my colleagues. So I put college on hold to put all of my attention towards my business while working part time at a country club to keep the business afloat. I love programming and creating useful applications but running a business isnt easy and takes up a ton of time. I started looking into ways of getting into the industry and found Lambda School which I am currently attending and I'm almost finished with it. I loved talking to clients and helping them figure out solutions and I loved running the business but I want to devote more of my time to creating those applications.

Projects

Projects I've worked on over the years that I am proud of

ArtGen.live

React.js React.js React.js Node.js PostgreSQL Docker GoLang Cloudflare

ArtGen.live is a personal project that helps users create art. It uses the latest models from Stability AI to generate an image based on the user's prompt. The image request enters a queue system and is picked up by workers. The user is given a real time progress bar to show how far along the image is. The site is compatible with devices of all sizes, including mobile. The site has dynamic pages and navigation to fit the user's device size.

Crypto Trainer

React.js React.js React.js Node.js MongoDB Heroku

Crypto Trainer is a custom built application that helps users who are interested in trading cryptocurrencies practice before using real money. The application uses real time market data provided by the CryptoWatch API. Users can buy and sell popular cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. If users want to take on higher risk / reward they can leverage their trades up to 150x. If their position's value drops too much their position will get liquidated and theyll lose it all. The frontend is powered by Typescript, React, and Redux; deployed using Netlify. The backend is powered by Node, Express, and MongoDB; deployed using Heroku.

SecureChat

Electron.js React.js React.js GoLang MongoDB Cloudflare

SecureChat is an open source desktop and web application dedicated to creating a secure messaging platform. Users can send messages or files confidently knowing that only the recipient can see the messages. The application was built with a privacy first approach. It is built on Electron with React and Redux. The backend is built on GoLang and utilizes WebSockets to communicate with users in real time. MongoDB is being utilized for its database.

SpoofMail

React.js Node.js PostgreSQL Heroku

Website that generates random burner emails for our users to use. These emails have no expiration date and are anonymous. Fully functional application that allows viewing emails and supports email styling

VUSD's Education Fair 2018

Unity

After working on a game in CS3 called Yee Combat (named after our teacher), we were selected to teach kids and their parents about game design and computer science at VUSD's Education Fair. Our game showcased networking with large amounts of players (32) while still being stable even with large battles happening. The game was built in Unity and created using only C#. It was after this that I received a certificate of graditude from Robin Layton, CEO of Educational Enrichment Systems, and Jacqueline Bispo, Family and Community engagement Network Lead.

Skills

Throughout my CS courses in high school and college I've learned many different languages and frameworks. Some used for personal projects and others for production purposes for other companies

Javascript

Javascript is the language I know the best and the one im strongest with. Ive used many different frameworks for Javascript including React, Redux, React Native, Node, Redis, CircleCI, and Express all in production applications

Java

This is the language I prefer to work in for high performance workloads and have been using for more than 5 years now, mostly for high school/college courses and personal projects. Spring, JUnit

HTML and CSS

I have been working with HTML and CSS for around 3 years now and absolutely love it. I have worked on accessibility and SEO optimizations and have received good scores from Google's lighthouse tool for a wide range of devices

MySQL and MongoDB

These two database structures are my favorite and the ones im most comfortable with. Ive used MongoDB primarily for personal projects that deal with large amounts of information and have used MySQL for production environments

Python

I love using Python for small scale personal projects, especially on my Rasberry Pi. I have worked with Django, interfaced with USB GPS devices and Bluetooth controllers.

C# and C++

This is the language I prefer working in for game development with Unity which I took for CS3 in high school. I have also done projects that use C# for windows applications and user interfaces

Get in touch

Send me an email about anything and I'll respond as soon as I can