David Kountz
Jr. Compliance Analyst at CSX
About Me
Recent Graduate in Information Systems | Aspiring Cybersecurity Engineer
As a recent graduate from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, I am an aspiring DevOps engineer driven by a passion for automation and continuous improvement. My enthusiasm for technology began at a young age and has only grown stronger over the years.
I am dedicated to expanding my knowledge and honing my skills in the DevOps field. Currently, I am diving into "The DevOps Handbook" to deepen my understanding of best practices and methodologies. My strong work ethic and self-discipline propel me to tackle new challenges and constantly seek opportunities for learning and growth.
I thrive on building solutions from the ground up and am eager to apply my knowledge to real-world scenarios. Committed to becoming a valuable asset in the tech industry, I am excited about the journey ahead and the opportunities it holds.
Projects
SCOTT1E
A cybersecurity blog made using Node.js, React, and utilizing a Postgresql database for the back end.
Personal Portfolio Site
The site you are currently on.
WeDa
A basic weather dashboard
SCOTT1E
A cybersecurity blog site that features a fully workable faux Linux terminal for its UI.
Tech Stack: Node.js, React, PostgreSQL. Utilizing AWS EC2 instance for hosting and RDS for the PostgreSQL database.
Faux Linux terminal interface with 10+ commands for article navigation, theme swapping, and information on site author, Scotty.
Admin dashboard for site maintenance, article management, and analytics. Prioritizing security, utilizing data encryption, access control, and database security practices to ensure that sensitive data is protected and secure.
This project consisted of a team of 4 individuals and was part of the Senior Project capstone course for my degree at UNF.
For this project I had the following responsibilities:
- Acted as Scrum Master
- Created the admin dashboard where the article authors could manage the articles and view analytics
- Implemented account management tools (Password management and account creation)
- Hosted the web app on AWS using an EC2 instance and PostgreSQL database using AWS RDS
- Designed the database which held the articles, sensitive account data, and analytics
Personal Portfolio Site
The website you are currently on.
Utilizes Terraform as a CI/CD pipeline for automated updates to the Azure Web App.
GitLab repository for added automation integration.
WeDa - Weather Dashboard
A full-stack weather application providing real-time weather data and forecasts with an intuitive user interface.
Tech Stack: React, Spring Boot, OpenWeatherMap API, Java, JavaScript, Responsive Design
The main dashboard displays current weather conditions, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and sunrise/sunset times for the searched location.
Key Features:
- Intuitive search functionality with city name lookup
- Real-time weather data including temperature, conditions, wind speed, and humidity
- 5-Day forecast with daily high/low temperatures and weather conditions
- Dynamic backgrounds that change based on current weather conditions
- Temperature unit conversion between Celsius and Fahrenheit
- Sunrise and sunset time display for the selected location
Technical Implementation:
- React frontend for responsive and interactive user interface
- Spring Boot backend handling API requests and data processing
- RESTful API integration with OpenWeatherMap
- Implemented caching to reduce API calls and improve performance
- Error handling for invalid city names and network issues
- Mobile-responsive design that works across all device sizes
Development Process:
This project started as a way to practice frontend-backend integration while creating something practical that users would find valuable. I designed the application to be intuitive, with a clean interface that prioritizes the most important weather information.
The biggest challenge was optimizing API usage to stay within rate limits while ensuring users always have access to current data. I implemented a backend caching system that stores weather data for 30 minutes, significantly reducing API calls while maintaining data freshness.