Nik Kantar

Résumé

TL;DR

Python, AWS, open source, conference and meetup organizing and speaking.

Abbreviated PDF downloadable here.


Summary

My favorite language is Python, and I generally try and default to it as my primary tool. Over the years I’ve mostly used it to write web applications and backend services, so I’m pretty familiar with framework-less architectures and Django, as well as a variety of other packages powering the Python ecosystem.

The projects I’ve worked on for the past few years have largely been deployed on AWS, giving me experience with Terraform, AWS Lambda, ECS, DynamoDB, RDS, SQS, EventBridge, API Gateway, and Serverless Framework.

In addition to the above, I’ve been effective with TypeScript (and thus JavaScript) relatively recently, and PHP and Ruby some years back. As needed, I’ve written my fair share of HTML and CSS as well, along with Bash and SQL. All this I’ve managed using Git and the UNIX command-line for years.

Somewhere in my distant past lie Bootstrap, jQuery, Backbone, Marionette, WordPress, Zend Framework, CodeIgniter, and who knows what else.

Aside from my use of the above at work, I also maintain a few of my own open source projects and occasionally contribute to others’.

Adding to technical work, I’m fairly embedded in the Python community, having organized a conference of my own, being a regular meetup organizer, and attending other conferences and meetups frequently. I’ve spoken at both as well.


Work

Senior Software Engineer, Reach Security, 1/24–present

Some v. cool stuff, obvs.

Software Engineer/Squad Lead, Instil, 12/20–8/23

Lead Software Engineer, sweetgreen, 2/19–10/20

Senior Software Engineer, friendbuy, 9/17–2/19

Senior Engineer, SimpleLegal, 6/15–7/17

Software Developer, BLITZ Digital Studios, 6/13–5/15


Projects


Community

Chair, PyBeach 2020

Organizer, SoCal Python, 12/17–present


Talks

Adafruit Circuit Playground Express as an “On Air” Light

TODO: add comments: 5 Tips for Winning at Code Comments

BYOAPI: No API? No Problem! (lightning talk)


Education


Languages