seo:
  title: "Nick Kalar - Software Engineer & Data Enthusiast"
  description: "Welcome to my portfolio! I'm Nick Kalar, a Software Engineer and back-end developer based in Florida. I specialize in building performant services to help companies deliver to their customers faster and more reliably."
title: "Hey, I'm Nick Kalar Software Engineer"
description: "I craft efficient, thoughtful systems. Based in Florida, bringing ideas to life through code and creativity."
hero:
  links:
    - label: ""
      to: 
      color: "neutral"
  images:
    # - src: /hero/random-1.avif
    #   alt: Random Image 1
about:
  title: "About Me"
  description: |
    As a back-end developer with 7 years of experience, I leverage my curiosity and subject matter expertise to craft robust, scalable systems that drive business success.
    My approach blends collaboration and strategy with technical expertise, transforming concepts into functional, purposeful applications that seamlessly integrate into larger systems.
experience:
  title: Work Experience
  items:
    - position: "Senior Back-end Software Engineer at"
      date: "2021 - 2025"
      company:
        name: EY
        logo: "https://cdn.brandfetch.io/idB8IjfqRq/w/32/h/32/theme/dark/icon?c=1bxid64Mup7aczewSAYMX"
        url: "https://ey.com"
        color: "#FFE600"
education:
  title: Education
  items:
    - degree: "B.S. in Computer Science from"
      date: "2018 - 2020"
      institution:
        name: CSUB
        logo: "https://www.csub.edu/_resources/images/csub-logo-footer.png"
        url: "https://www.csub.edu"
        color: "#003594"
    - degree: "A.A. from"
      date: "2015 - 2018"
      institution:
        name: Bakersfield College
        logo: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/Bakersfield_college_seal.png"
        url: "https://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/index.html"
        color: "#b10b2d"
testimonials:
  - quote: |
      Nick has been a wonderful mentor, peer, and friend. I will always 
      remember the patience and leadership he demonstrated when I joined our 
      team, and he taught me how to be an engineer in a client facing role 
      from the ground up. His technical agility has consistently inspired me 
      to grow and challenge myself.
    author:
      name: 'Elizabeth Drebin'
      description: 'Biomedical Engineering Student at Carnegie Mellon University'
      avatar:
        src: 'https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E03AQE83RWEEpmimQ/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1700970362718?e=1766016000&v=beta&t=hUMKcwhTJaPnZksBi1-yBuSuoaH83C8YjIFMCqtZFiQ'
        srcset: 'https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E03AQE83RWEEpmimQ/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1700970362718?e=1766016000&v=beta&t=hUMKcwhTJaPnZksBi1-yBuSuoaH83C8YjIFMCqtZFiQ 2x'
  - quote: |
      Nick has engaged with [Client] team members across development, product 
      management, and quality assurance. He's fostered stronger relationships 
      and open communication with these teams, gaining a deeper understanding 
      of the broader context of the issues he is addressing and contributing 
      to more holistic solutions.
    author:
      name: 'Kevin Von Storch'
      description: 'Digital Solution Delivery Lead at Ernst & Young'
      avatar:
        src: 'https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C5603AQHoTzQwnBe7HQ/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1591756110221?e=1766016000&v=beta&t=qrXnoLQktukfddE6Yv0Zc2VuUUmB8hufq95xLv9vlQg'
        srcset: 'https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C5603AQHoTzQwnBe7HQ/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1591756110221?e=1766016000&v=beta&t=qrXnoLQktukfddE6Yv0Zc2VuUUmB8hufq95xLv9vlQg 2x'
  - quote: |
      Nick is the definition of a utility player. I am so lucky that his 
      interests are in mobile development, allowing me the opportunity to see 
      his work first hand. Nick has come in and immediately added immense value 
      through detailed code reviews, feature creation, service level blueprint 
      creation, architecture design, backlog refinement and more. Nick's ability 
      to manage and lead team members, both more senior and below his rank, is 
      a testament to his leadership skills.
    author:
      name: 'Janaeé Wallace'
      description: 'Technical Product Manager at Ernst & Young'
      avatar:
        src: 'https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C5603AQHD9pDwfCgKJw/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1517606283329?e=1766016000&v=beta&t=sl-Uhox5hXrTEndOB3ZQ94qdg3uolF3cOzTZI3BO02E'
        srcset: 'https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C5603AQHD9pDwfCgKJw/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/profile-displayphoto-shrink_800_800/0/1517606283329?e=1766016000&v=beta&t=sl-Uhox5hXrTEndOB3ZQ94qdg3uolF3cOzTZI3BO02E 2x'
# blog:
#   title: "Latest Articles"
#   description: "Some of my recent thoughts"
# faq:
#   title: Frequently Asked Questions
#   description: Answers to common questions about my process and services.
#   categories:
#     - title: 
#       questions:
#         - label: 
#           content: |
            
#         - label: 
#           content: |
            
#         - label: 
#           content: |