Rafferty Smith-Freelance Web Developer | Maths & Computer Science at University of Bristol

Worked alongside the security team at Cisco, where I was tasked with developing a real-world security tool designed to parse build logs and populate an allow list of flagged unsafe function calls.

Throughout the week, I participated in internal meetings with teams based in the U.S, including a technical session on command injection attacks - offering valuable insight into how Cisco builds secure, maintainable code to guard against real-world vulnerabilities. I also attended a live demonstration of a newly developed internal Python package management system - I didn't realise that the team created their own apps for the sole purpose of efficiency within their environments and so this was very insightful.

Beyond hands-on coding, I was introduced to Cisco's software development lifecycle and the layers of coordination required to manage security across such a large-scale infrastructure. The team provided a walkthrough of the company's security hierarchy and the rigorous review processes in place.

During development, I came to understand the critical role of unit testing in maintaining code reliability. I introduced unit tests into my application to ensure functionality remained intact through changes and iterations.

By the end of the placement, I had completed and refined my security application thanks to many Git markups from the team. The final task had me delivering a live technical demo of my project to the security team, answering questions and explaining the software's logic and use case.

• Associated LinkedIn skills include Cybersecurity, Command Injection and additional skills including Python, networking and Linux / Bash.

I design and develop websites for small businesses, working directly with clients from the initial requirements and design process through to development and deployment.

My work has given me experience in modern full-stack web development, particularly using TypeScript and JavaScript with frameworks including React and Next.js. I have also gained practical experience maintaining deployed websites, working with backend systems and Linux servers, and making technical decisions around usability, reliability and security.

Working independently on client projects has taught me to balance the technical side of web development with understanding what a business and its users actually need, and to justify design and implementation decisions rather than simply applying whichever approach is most convenient.

• Associated LinkedIn skills include TypeScript, JavaScript and additional skills across full-stack development, Git, Linux, Vue.js and AngularJS.