About Me
Beyond the code: who I am when I'm not building applications
My Story
Hi, I'm Dustin! I grew up in a small city in British Columbia, Canada, and my journey in tech began when I moved to Vancouver Island to play university baseball. It was there that I discovered my passion for building things with code. After graduation, I spent two months backpacking solo across Europe, creating unforgettable experiences, enjoying amazing food, and collecting stories I'd love to share!
When I'm not coding, you can usually find me at the kickboxing gym, strategizing over a game of chess, or being too emotionally invested in my favourite teams (go Blue Jays and Liverpool). I love blending focus and fun in all areas of life.
I'm currently based in Victoria, BC, and I'm always excited to collaborate on meaningful projects, learn new things, and make a positive impact wherever I can.
Quick Stats
6+
Clients shipped for 🤝
1
Product shipped solo 📱
1
Research paper published 📄
32
Estimated open tabs 🧠
Fun Facts
Have 7 career home runs
Visited 10 countries
Have a YouTube video with over 1.8 million views
Know every country, its flag, and where it is on the map
Skydived at 13,000 feet in Bologna, Italy
Played saxophone at a famous jazz club in Havana, Cuba
Skills Arsenal
A well-rounded toolkit for building modern web applications
Frontend
Backend
AI Tools
Tools
Design
Featured Work
The things I build for myself, and platforms I've helped build for clients
Personal Projects
Manna
A private, distraction-free space for Christians to pour out what they're carrying and receive a single Scripture verse in response.
ka-media
A portfolio site for a sports photographer and filmmaker, organizing game coverage into Instagram-story-style decks of photos and reels.
Blundr
A chess coach that runs my last 20 Chess.com games through Stockfish and turns the patterns in my mistakes into a short study plan.
Client Work
Coffee & Contracts
A marketing platform for real estate agents, with AI-generated captions, Instagram analytics, and a content-strategy calendar.
CareMobi
A platform that connects patients, families, and healthcare professionals to make managing care easier and more human.
Six
A social recommendation app built on lists of exactly six favorites, shared privately or discovered on a map.
More Projects
- CODERS DatabaseA centralized database and API for Canadian energy system modelling and research.Python, Flask, MySQL, RESTRead about it →
- Rock-Paper-ScissorsPlay rock-paper-scissors against your computer using your webcam.Python, React, TensorFlow, RedisView →
From the Notebook
Notes on what I'm building, breaking, and rethinking
I Wasn't Getting Better at Chess, So I Built My Own Coach
My chess rating had been stagnant, and reviewing one game at a time was not showing me what to work on. I built Blundr to find the patterns across my games and turn them into a practical study plan.
Someone Saw My Layoff as an Opportunity
After I posted about being laid off, someone contacted me with a software engineering opportunity. Seconds into the call, the interviewer's video and story stopped adding up.
The Career Ladder Moved While I Was Climbing It
Being laid off early in my career has made me reconsider where my skills fit in a software industry being reshaped by AI.
My Journey
A timeline of my experiences and milestones throughout my career
Looking for My Next Role
Full-Stack / Product Engineering
- Open to full-stack and product engineering roles, remote or on Vancouver Island
- Building with React, Next.js, React Native, Python/Django, and AI-powered product features
- Writing about the job search and shipping side projects while I look
- If you are hiring or know a team that is, I would love to hear from you
Full-Stack Software Developer
Input Logic
- Shipped features end-to-end across 6+ client products with Django/DRF, Next.js/React, and Expo/React Native, embedded with each client's team
- Coffee & Contracts: built the platform's Anthropic Claude integration — model routing, prompt caching, structured JSON output — powering an AI caption generator for agents; also shipped Instagram analytics, a content calendar, and tiered membership billing
- CareMobi & Aliviado (NYU Nursing): built mobile and web health-logging tools, care-team invites and role-based access, biometric login, and tiered entitlements
- Six: built the mobile app, web dashboard, and API from zero, including engagement analytics, team hierarchies, and PostHog product analytics
- Input Cowork: implemented Stripe billing for subscriptions, day passes, card management, and invoicing
- Leveraged an AI agent platform (Harbour) to automate Jira ticket triage and implementation via chained agents wired into Slack, cutting time from ticket to first draft
Software Engineer
Celayix Software
- Led the automated testing team in the implementation of an automated test suite using Selenium
- Built a CI/CD pipeline for quicker feedback on code deployments using PyTest parallelization and TeamCity
- Wrote technical documentation for the entire test suite and test planning
Research Assistant
Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic)
- Designed and built a robust SQL database for the Canadian energy systems grid
- Launched a containerized Flask REST API on UVic cloud computing services
- Developed dynamic data visualizations using Python Bokeh
- Had work documented and published in Energy Systems Review Volume 44
Bachelor of Software Engineering
University of Victoria
- Completed 4 semesters of full-time co-op placements
- Gained hands-on experience in software development fundamentals, system design, and teamwork
- Survived through countless group projects, assignments, and exams
Fundamentals of Engineering Certificate
Vancouver Island University
- Completed first computer science course and discovered a strong passion for programming
- Led a team whose design project won the student popularity award in engineering
- Balanced varsity baseball with school
Beyond The Keyboard
Hobbies and interests that keep me balanced and inspired
Cooking
Trying out new dishes and techniques to challenge myself in the kitchen
Kickboxing
Keeping me in shape while training amateur competition
Music
Expressing myself and sharpening my skills through playing and composing music
Chess
Strategizing and improving my critical thinking one move at a time.Let's play!
Hiking
Exploring trails and mountains to stay active, enjoy nature, and recharge my mind
Reading
Expanding my perspective through non-fiction and escaping into fantasy worlds for fun
Contact Me
Ready to build something awesome? Let's chat!
Get in Touch
Whether you have a project in mind, want to collaborate, or just want to say hi, I'd love to hear from you. Let's make something great together!
dustin.j.aldana@gmail.com
Location
Langford, BC, Canada
Availability Status
Open for opportunities
Available