Online Resume: Brandon Helm
Summary of Goals
I'm a passionate engineer who got an early exposure to big-data technologies and enjoys solving complex problems. My current biggest goal is to leverage WebGL to make an interactive concept mapping engine. I have a page online referencing my efforts to launch this as an Open Source project here.
While I have very specific goals with WebGL and believe there is a lot of potential for those types of UI/UX designs, I am also open to exploring other areas of software development. I have a strong interest in learning more about backend development and database management.
I want to note that much of my early experience was in SQL reporting and data analysis, which has given me a strong foundation in understanding data structures and query optimization. I am excited to build on this foundation and apply it to more complex software engineering projects.
Looking forward to connecting!
Technologies Proficiency
HTML5 |
Advanced skills including utlization of canvas element for 3D graphics and animations. |
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CSS3 |
Advanced skills including full understanding of responsive media query design principles and cross-browser compatibility techniques. |
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JavaScript |
Intermediate skills including basic form validation, API integration, and data-modeling to support webGL visualizations. |
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Bootstrap |
Intermediate skills including custom component creation, theming, and responsive design implementation. This portfolio and resume site is a BootStrap project. |
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SQL |
Advanced skills including sub-query creation and complex joins in SQL databases. Much of my early career experience was in SQL reporting. |
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PHP |
Intermediate skills including object-oriented programming and database integration. |
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C++ |
Nearing advanced skills including memory pointer utilization and optimization techniques to facilitate my custom encryption algorithm. |
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WebGL |
Intermediate skills including 3D graphics programming, shader development, and interactive UI design. |
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GitHub |
Familiarity with version control systems such as Git and GitHub. Experience with branching, merging, and pull requests. Experience with Jira for project management and issue tracking. |
Education
- [Completed] The Tech Academy's Advanced JavaScript Bootcamp (2025-2026)
- [Partially Completed] Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering - Saint Cloud State University (2013-2015; Note that this was only partially completed as I started working as a Process Engineer in my 3rd year. Though it was only partially completed, I did take a number of coding classes and deep theory on digital logic architecture. This is what allowed me to succeed in building my own encryption algorithm from scratch, which applies these skills deeply.)
Milestone Achievements
- Created a Dual-Layer Encryption algorithm in C++, with both Cypher-Swapping and Xor-Bit-Mask-Encoding of the data. Created completely from scratch with all my own functions. See Details
- Created an interactive concept mapping UI using JavaScript and WebGL. I see huge potential for this in education for mapping relationships between elements of a solution, as well as in psychology for mapping journal relationships and interactive records UI/UX. See Details
Featured Experience:
Junior Software Developer in Credit Scoring
Company: Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions
Dates: February 2016 - December 2016
Responsibilities: Developed and maintained software solutions for credit scoring applications, and collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather requirements. Learned a lot about architectural challenges specific to large distributed systems such as node overload and data consistency issues.
Technologies Used: ECL (Big-Data language specific to HPCC Systems), Jira, GitHub
Featured Experience:
Process Engineer in eCommerce Operations
Company: Bluestem Brands, Inc.
Dates: February 2015 - February 2016
Responsibilities: In this role, I was responsible for analyzing and optimizing operational processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The primary tools for my research were Micofoft-SQL and MS-Excel. I collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify bottlenecks and implement solutions that enhanced overall productivity. Additionally, I utilized data analysis tools to monitor employee performance in the facility and conduct employee reviews for about 800 people.
Technologies Used: MicroSoft-SQL, MicroSoft-Office, HighJump Warehouse Management Software