Who is Michael Houghton
With 12 years experience as a Backend PHP Developer, mixed with a business background, I have a great balance of technical and business knowledge. I have 9 years experience with CakePHP, but also experience with Zend Framework, CodeIgniter, PhalconPHP and Laravel.
Having graduated the University of Auckland in 2005 with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Management and Entrepreneurship, I have spent my professional life involved with Internet based companies, Online Start-up's and developing innovative web projects.
I am originally from Auckland, New Zealand. In 2011 I moved to Ireland and now reside in Castleconnell, Co. Limerick. Today, I work remotely as a Director of Engineering for Toptal - an exclusive talent marketplace who hire the world's best software developers.
This website gives an over-view of professional background, a chance for me to share code that I have developed and blog about software development and entrepreneurship.
Recent Articles
My Toptal Adventure: Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina
7th September 2016
I promised an update on my next Toptal Adventure - and here I am - writing this from Split, in Croatia, sharing a house with 10 other Toptal core team members! Read about my working adventure to Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Read MoreToptal - The 2 year update you have been waiting for!
22nd June 2016
It has been over two years since I have joined Toptal. I am now a member of the Toptal Core Team! My role in Toptal is as Director of Engineering - it is my job to match a developer to a project! This includes talking with clients about their project, and finding the perfect developer for their needs.
Read MoreCakePHP Money Helper Plugin
29th January 2015
Looking for a way to make your currency appear neater in CakePHP Views? The Money Helper has been designed to make currency appear as small as possible.
Read MoreCoderity.com - A CakePHP CMS - Launched Today!
20th January 2015
For the last couple of months, I have been working on a CakePHP CMS. I am proud to announce that it is finally ready and roaring to go!
Read MoreMost Common CakePHP Mistakes: A Tutorial for Beginners
11th November 2014
I was asked by Toptal to do an article about common mistakes about CakePHP. This article is a variation on my CakePHP Bad Habits article.
Read MoreToptal - A Follow Up After 6 Months
2nd October 2014
Its been 6 months since I have joined Toptal and while I promised to write a followup article earlier, I can happily say I have been so busy with projects (including Toptal projects) that I simply haven't had the time. Toptal is excellent, particularly if you are a programmer that isn't very business savvy.
Read MoreA Thorough Review of CakePHP 3.0
9th July 2014
I was asked to write an article for Toptal, this review takes a look at the features of CakePHP 3.
Read MoreToptal Review: The Interview Process
20th April 2014
Having been freelancing for a large part of the last decade, I would consider myself an expert as a remote software developer. When I came across Toptal, I was immediately impressed by what I saw. Having spent a large amount of time bidding for projects on Elance and Freelancer.com, I was excited by the prospect of being awarded projects based on my skill set and experience, rather than constantly competing on price.
Read MoreCakePHP 3 - My First Thoughts
23rd January 2014
I took the time tonight to review the preview release of CakePHP 3. Having used CakePHP for 6 years, I had certain expectations about what I wanted from the Framework.
Read MoreBad CakePHP Habits & How to Rectify Them!
27th October 2013
This article highlights a few bad practices which I have seen over the years in regards to CakePHP and how the correct procedure should be implemented.
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