My story
Introduction
Hi, I'm Stanley M. Ndagi, alias Stan_MD or simply Stan.
You're reading a page in my web profile, a spot on the web where I aggregate what I share with the world. There's lots to explore; take a look at how everything is arranged in the site map here.
I'm available to assist, and explore synergies and potential collaborations.
Pore over my writing; included are links to other pages, embeds, and resources for more insight. Welcome!
-> Please refer to my LinkedIN profile for more details on my career journey so far.
Popular
- Read my thoughts, logs, posts, tutorials among other pen-strokes at Writing.
- Learn more about my faith at KingdomBIZ.
- JUST DO
NOT QUIT! Consider the tools I use to get things done at Tools. - Go through my career milestones.
- Learn through my talks and presentations.
- I'm a GitHub star ⭐
My contact lines are open to connect and for feedback. Should you be so obliged, you can support my work or buy me coffee (click the buttons at the footer for that.)
In a nutshell
Stan
- 🇰🇪 is Kenyan (by birth)
- 🌍 identifies as a global citizen
- 💻 mostly works remotely
- ✍️ enjoys writing
Read my thoughts, logs, posts, tutorials among other pen-strokes at Writing. - 🥾 likes the outdoors (hiking, camping)
- 🙏 is a believer of Jesus Christ. More on this ...
If that's a mouthful, consider these three words:
- Digerati
- Steward
- Tinkerer
Digerati - Steward - Tinkerer
That's is the most concise way I choose to describe myself (all-round, not just professionally).
Digerati • Steward • Tinkerer
(Click to read their exposition)
What I do
I'm a professional in the Software Engineering and Digital Product space who is technically adept, a steward of diverse matters and interests, and loves to tinker with machines, tools, and systems.
A concise list
Professionally
Engineering and Product (Software)
- Engineering: Full-Stack & DevOps
- Product: Management (AGILE) & Content (Documentation and Strategy)
- Program: Technical support, Partnerships
- Technical Team Lead
Others
- Tech Community lead
- Author, Writer, and Editor (English & Swahili)
- Open Source contributor and maintainer
- Consultant (pro bono and for hire)
- Mentor
... the list continues
Personal Mantra
invoke the builder within and serve
What the Mantra means
Besides being a creative (building and assembling stuff in the digital and physical world, and tinkering), I choose to go beyond self and work on impacting others.
This mantra reminds me of this identity; calling me to action 👉 Building and Serving!
How I work
Based on the 6 types of Working geniuses1, I thrive as an Wonderer, Enabler, Inventor, and Galvanizer.
Meaning that my mottos (according to the model) are:
- Wonderer: Let's think about it
- Enabler: Let me help you get things done
- Inventor: Let's figure it out
- Galvanizer: Let's move forward
Read more about the 6 types of Working geniuses (and figure out yours) in my post here.
Building and Serving
My mantra - invoke the builder within and serve
I broadly categorise what I do into: Building and Serving.
I expound this below.
Building
Building is expressed in:
- Software engineering
- DevOps and Productivity Engineering
- Product Management
- Passion projects
These efforts are expounded in Building.
Serving
Serving, on the other hand, is expressed in:
- Leading - Taking up leadership opportunities to synergize efforts towards a common goal and coaching to unlock the potential of my team
- Giving
- Teaching - Wholesomely breaking barriers, real or imagined!
Technical writing and Giving talks are ways I do this. - Mentoring - individuals or groups seek me out directly, via platforms like ADPlist and programs
... the list continues (It's a lifelong journey)
These efforts are expounded in Serving.
Career milestones and worthy mentions
-> Please refer to my LinkedIN profile for more details on my career journey so far.
- DigiTax | Namiri Technology Limited, Nairobi, Kenya - Integrations, Content and Product Lead, 2023-Present (Hybrid)
- Technical Consultant (Engineering and Product), 2019-Present (Remote)
- CircleCI Technical Authors Program, San Francisco, California, US - Technical copywriting & editorial, 2020-Present (Remote)
- Musicbuk, Atlanta, Georgia, US - Software Engineer, 2020-2022 (Remote)
- Senior Software Engineer
- Paymentology (once Tutuka), (South Africa, UAE, UK), Technical Writer, 2021-2023 (Remote)
- Bellwethr, Kansas City, Missouri, US - Software Engineer, 2019 (Remote)
- Platform and Machine Learning
- Team Lead
- FarmLogs (Now BushelFarm), Ann Arbor, Michigan, US - Software Engineer, 2018-2019 (Remote)
- BrightHive, Chicago, Illinois, US — Software Engineer, 2017-2018 (Remote)
- Enigma, New York, US — Data Engineer, 2016-2017 (Remote)
Read my opinion piece on this. It was cross-posted on the Andela site. - Andela, Nairobi, Kenya - Engineering & Product, 2015-2019
- Software Engineer, 2015-2018
🥁 "And the EPIC award goes to Stanley..." - More on this in Recognition and Honours - Product Manager, 2018
- Senior Software Engineer, 2018-2019
Blog post on my time in Andela
- Software Engineer, 2015-2018
- Influx, Australia - Customer Service Technical Support, 2015 (Remote)
- TTUC (then a college under JKUAT, now TTU), Voi, Kenya - Attache, ICT department, 2014
- Ndovu Card, Nairobi, Kenya - Systems Analyst and UI/UX, 2014
See more on LinkedIn.
Talks, Panels and Interviews
I find opportunities to share my knowledge and expertise:
Caught on Camera
I shared on Maximizing opportunities in Tech, with TechSpace on 27 July 2022
I presented An opinionated Python toolkit at PyCon Kenya on 6th May 2022.
The conference did not have a camera crew. My wife happily stepped in to record the talk on her phone ❤️Narrating a day in my life as a software engineer (2019) - by Andela.
Speaking on Open Source while at DockerCon 2018 - by TFIR.
Speaking on Family Radio on the topic: Does tech make us more or less productive at work
(Co-guest - Mercy, Host - Harriet)
The rest
- Panelist at Associates Tech Forum (A forum of my university alma mater) speaking on the topic: How technology can impact our everyday lives and careers.
- I introduced my audience to Docker in the cloud at Forloop Abuja in 2017
Slide deck - I introduced my audience to containerization using Docker at Nairobi Ruby community in 2016
Slide deck
Written pieces
- My author page at CircleCI's blog
- Sections of Paymentology's developer docs
- Article at Andela's blog
- Technical tutorial at Digital Ocean
- My other pen strokes can be found on my blog at Hashnode, TechKln's blog, DeveloperISH blog and Medium
Read more of my writing here.
Recognition and Honours
- GitHub Star (2022, 2023)
My GitHub star profile
About the program
My blog entry about it - CircleCI champion, 2023
About the program - Top achiever: Kenya among ADPlist mentors, 2023
Periodically, on some months in 2022 and 2023, I have been recognized among the Top 1% Mentors on ADPList mentors globally.
Through ADPList anyone can book and meet over 16,000+ mentors for 1:1 mentorship in their global community. - 🏆 Global hackathon finalist (F8), 2019
My team was listed among top 8 finalists in F8 Hackathon 2019 (in San Jose, California) - 🏆 EPIC award (Employee of the Year) - Andela, 2016
Awardees epitomise the company’s values: Excellence, Passion, Integrity, and Collaboration
Favourite quotes
Act the way you want to act, and soon you'll be the way you act
Start with the necessary, then to the possible. In no time, you'll be doing the impossible
A leader is best when people barely know you exist. When their work is done, and their aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves!
Et al (Others)
Vision
See my approach to casting an annual personal vision here.
Interests
Peruse my library of miscellaneous interests here.
Elsewhere on the web
Find out where else on the web you can find me here.
Chat/ Call me
💬 Again, if you want to chat, reach out through these platforms
OR 🤙 set up sometime on my calendar if you prefer a call/ meetup 😄
Reference
1 6 Working geniuses is a book by Patrick Lencioni. Find out more at workinggenius.com. This intro video gives you the gist of it and there are more resources to peruse.
You can also read my blog entry about the model.