Dakota Smith

About Dakota Smith

I remember the moment I realized my passion for technology. While deployed in the desert, away from the usual distractions, I found myself using limited resources to fix what I had to fix. This environment sparked a creative renaissance, leading me to discover my love for coding.After four years in the United States Air Force as a Vehicle Maintenance Technician, I transitioned into software development. I built full-stack web applications using React, Node.js, Express, and SQL, and developed games in Unity with C#, focusing on interactive gameplay systems and performance optimization.This journey taught me that troubleshooting a broken vehicle isn\'t all that different from debugging a broken application. Both require patience, creativity, and a systematic approach to problem-solving.I\'m excited to bring this unique perspective to a software engineering role, where I can continue to create solutions that make the future better.If you\'re interested in connecting or discussing opportunities, feel free to reach out.

Experience

1. Software Engineer Apprentice

   Creating Coding Careers

   Sep 2025 — Present · CA, US

   During my apprenticeship with Creating Coding Careers, I built multiple end-to-end web projects using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, gaining hands-on experience with modern frontend workflows, debugging, Git/GitHub, and project planning. I developed a Change Calculator that determines exact coin breakdowns based on user input, applying conditional logic, loops, and DOM manipulation to create a clean, functional UI. I also created an Astro Weight Calculator that computes a user’s weight on different planets using mathematical formulas and dynamic event-driven JavaScript. Additionally, I designed and deployed a full “San Diego Top Spots” website featuring responsive layouts, structured content, and clean UI/UX principles, powered by JSON data and dynamic JavaScript rendering. These projects strengthened my ability to write maintainable code, solve problems efficiently, and build practical, user-focused applications.