Cameron MacKinnon

Introduction

I am a former Senior Consultant from KPMG looking to transition to a career in software. I built this website in an attempt to build out my software skills (React, Javascript, Node.js) and to have a public platform to display my resume. This project has been extremely fulfilling and I plan on pursuing more personal software projects in the future.

KPMG

From June 2021 to April 2023, I worked at KPMG in the Financial Services department. At KPMG, I worked on a variety of internal and external projects that primarily focused on developing or improving software applications for insurance companies. A few notable projects that I worked on include:

• Developing an ESG model to help financial institutions calculate their Scope 1 & 2 building emissions
• Building a data analytics dashboard for the internal recruitment team
• Helping a large-scale insurer transition their financial and actuarial data from an old accounting standard (IFRS4) to the newest requirements (IFRS17)

KPMG was the perfect place to start my career. I led engagements from start to finish, I was thrown into a variety of software applications (Azure, Salesforce, Qlik), and I met great people along the way. However, what I enjoyed most from the job were the technical components, and I knew I needed to work for a tech company where I could learn best practices from seasoned developers. This led me to leave KPMG and begin my search for a role in software development.

But first...

Instead of beginning the search for a new job, I chose to go travelling with my partner for the summer. We spent two months in Colombia: starting on a farm in Quindio, making our way to the Caribbean coast, and then heading back inland to Medellín. We stopped in Costa Rica for a week on our way back north, and then concluded our adventure by travelling for another month in Canada - hiking and camping in Northern BC, and then visiting family and friends on the coasts of Nova Scotia. After spending four months living out of my backpack, I had fulfilled my desire to travel and was eager to return to my career.

In the fall, I worked as a freelance developer for Katarok, a start-up focused on building LLM applications. Over 6 weeks, I helped with various items of the backend of an education-based LLM app, including database migrations, setting up a local DB in Docker, and testing FastAPI routes in Postman. My time at Katarok confirmed my aspiration to pursue a role in software; I am most content when working in a team to solve difficult software engineering problems, especially those that have a positive social and environmental impact.

My final pit-stop before committing to a full-time job search was exploring sustainable agriculture. I worked as a farm staff on an organic vegetable farm in Markham, ON in November and December. My days were spent harvesting, washing, processing, and packaging vegetables. We would then sell these vegetables at the local farmer's market on the weekend. The days were long and the temperatures were often below zero. It was grueling work, but it emphasized the importance of eating locally- and sustainably-grown produce. Although I do not think farming is a career path in my future, I hope to one day own a rural property where I can grow my own food.

January 2024

Which brings us to the present day, January 2024. I am actively looking for a junior- to intermediate-role as a Software Developer. Other titles that I am interested in/I believe my skillset is suited for include Backend Developer, Software Engineer, or Data Engineer. My time with KPMG and Katarok have solidified my interest in software development; the number one goal of my next role is to learn from experienced professionals while working on a modern tech stack. If you want to learn more about the skills I could bring to your team, please refer to my Resume. Or, if you're just here as a friend or family member, thank you for checking out my site!