Nathan Vargas Web Technologist and Innovator

Business Experience

So, what am I doing now?

Now I'm building, extending, and programming cross-device mobile apps. Using the latest in HTML5, CSS3, 100x faster JavaScript and other awesome technologies that make building apps much faster.

Blah blah blah. What does that actually mean? It means that I can take your abstract ideas and wrap them all nice and cozy in a warm blanket of mobile app code that makes it possible for anyone, anywhere to use your app. I build it 'once' and it runs 'almost everywhere'!

I have 4 very personal mobile applications in development right now. You can see more from the Current Projects tab. I could use some help, so if any of those projects are interesting to you, contact me using the link at the top of this page.

Sym Edge Creative

The name of my first web design business

When I left California to live in Missouri, I soon realized I was completely out of my element, having lived in sunny California my entire life. My professional future looked bleak because there wasn't anything even resembling a "Silicon Valley' in St. Louis.

I considered coming back to California but as I struggled to find a new career path, I stumbled upon an opportunity to start a little business. The idea was kickstarted by my chance encounter with the CEO of the largest Gymnastics School in the St. Louis area. Called Olympiad Gymnastic, they had 5 locations that each needed a unique web presence.

Soon I was one man doing the work of 5 people and enjoying every second!

So I decided to stay and build my design and web application business. It was called Sym Edge Creative and it became the third highest ranked design shop in less than 2 years. It seemed I'd found my passion!

Yooristic.com

Yooristic and The Human Relationship Genome Project

After moving back to California I began work on a new social media concept called FaceFirst.us with my older brother. A match making web application that put Face-to-Face interaction back into the Relationship Equation.

FaceFirst.us

FaceFirst.us leads to the founding of Yooristic.com, a social networking hub that takes social interactions and digs out the relevant data and builds a big picture of a persons relationships with other people. Yooristic is still growing and will soon be unleashed on the world!

Freelance Contracting

After a time, I filled any extra time in my day and offered consulting services for various local companies. This helped me cement my education and apply my skill in a practical arena. In real time. With all types of high level business people.

I learned important Social Dynamics that have helped me to this very day. Now I feel comfortable around high level people.

I've been involved with many different start-ups even as I continue to build Yooristic.com and my personal site.

Yes, you can hire me!

My Organizational Skills

Organizational Set

Project Coordinator, Project Management

Program Management, Product Management

Marketing, Business Development, Start-up Experience

Specialties

Social Technologies, Hyper-local and Hyper-Relevant Systems, Social CRM, Product Strategy, Product Design, Customer Insight, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Word of Mouth Marketing, Continuous Process Improvement, Agile Paradigms. Customer Co-Creation, SEO, Research and Development.

My Programming Skills

From Scratch Coding

• PHP
• MySQL
• SQLite
• HTML4, HTML5
• JavaScript
• CSS2, CSS3
• Section 501 Standards Compliance

Everywhere Once Mobile App Coding

• JQuery
• JQuery Mobile
• JQTouch
• PhoneGap
• Experience in GameQuery
• ECMAScript3, ECMAScript5

Content Management Systems

• Wordpress
• Drupal

Design and Layout

• 960 Grid System
• Photoshop
• Illustrator

My Education is Practical Experience

Where It Began

It all started when a good friend of mine gave me an old 486 Pentium 50Mhz desktop computer. His plan was to use the big beige box to prop open his art studio door on hot days. The computer ended up on the floor of my room that evening.

Intel 486 50 Mhz Desktop

I tore that machine apart, looking at the insides. The green PCB with all those silver lines criss crossing everywhere piqued my interest. It made sense on an intuitive level but I had no clue how complex all those parts were and I wanted to know.

Heald School of Technology

Heald School of Technology

I originally entered Heald School of Technology in the A+ Certification program. I took to the classes like fish and water. My very first time ever being on the Deans List was that year, 1993. Straight A's in every class was easy. My original plan was to transfer to San Jose State and enter the Computer Science program. My dream was to go to work for Intel Corporation, the worlds largest chip manufacturer at the time.

Along the way two things happened that changed my course.

Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation Old Logo

First and foremost, another major chip company engaged in a nasty legal battle with Intel for market dominance. Advanced Micro Devices looked to have a really great chance at bringing down the other chip giant and I wondered how long until it all hit the fan. With very little experience, I faced the question of which path would lead to a longer future.

Advanced Micro Devices

Advanced Micro Devices

I finally decided to work with Advanced Micro Devices. I entered thier program as an intern. For the following year I learned an amazing amount of details and increased my education of chip manufacturing technology and how it related to computers. As my knowledge grew in chip manufacturing I also realized I did not like the idea of how long it took an idea to become real. From design to implementation took at least 2 years. My creative urge compelled me to look for something much faster.

Second, I decided to become my own boss and entrepreneur. Thus began Web Design and Application...

International Webmasters Association

International Webmasters Association

I then entered the International Webmasters Association. Received my Technology Engineer Certification. Became a Gold Member which gave me the benefit of working with some of the top level designers at the time.

My First Business

Sym Edge Creative Logo

Ultimately this led me to create my very first design company called Sym Edge Creative. It was scary! Having people's website success in my hands. I realized it was a test of my passion and my ambition. It became the best decision I ever made and has led me here.

The rest is history!

My Personal Interests

Technology

Relevance, social networking, social media, crowdsourcing, collective intelligence, hyper-local social, enterprise clouds, customer communities, customer relationship management, user experience, advertising, infoglut, agile processes.

Martial Arts

As Ronin, I continue to study without a Sensei. My style of fighting is a mixture of Tae Kwon Do and Jiu-Jitsu. A personal derivative of the Brazilian Martial art of No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu that encompasses the most effective and devastating methods of self-defense known to man.

I have no Sensei and currently train completely on my own.

My martial art is designed strictly for survival is very powerful. No rules while in action. This weapon is only unsheathed under the most threatening situations and will destroy anyone it touches.

Drawing and Art

Comic books, paint in acrylic, life drawing, graphic design, and Two Dimensional Design. I started drawing in junior high and my first completed project was a Marvel character called The Black Panther. In my sophomore year of high school I co-created an independent comics studio and wrote, drew, inked and completed a comic book called Batmouse. It was a huge success at the time.

I'm looking for people interested in helping start up a new comic studio named RL Comics. Drop me a comment if you want more info!

Web Design and Applications

To me there is no better form of creation where the outcome is so nearly instantaneous. In the span of one hour I can make hundreds of changes to the code and try different ideas quickly. I'm now addicted to how quickly things are created on the Internet.

I got involved in web design when the dominate browser was Internet Explorer 5.

Writing

You can finally see and read the stories I've written since Junior Highschool. English Composition is my favorite and there's a passion you can see permeating my writing.

My Resumes and Professional Experience

• Web Technology Resume (PDF format).
• Special Education Resume (PDF format)

Some of my start-up experience:

• Confidential and In Development | The Relationship Genome Project |
  Innovation Director
• View | Blitz Comics
  Co-founder and Product Admin
• View | Yooristic - A Relationship Engine
  Co-founder and Technology Director
• View | Celcius Lounge
  Technology Director and co-founder
• View | Habatar
  Interface Design/Mobile Apps Dev/Lead Developer
• View | 2nd Karma Online Reality Show
  Technology Director
• In Development | Martial Arts Schools Search Engine
  Search Engine Application and Algorithms