Sourcier · Mentoring, career growth, and better software delivery

Practical software engineering guidance

I help people transition into tech, engineers grow with confidence, and teams improve how they build software. Writing about Breaking into Tech

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Transitioning into tech

Clear explanations, practical examples, and guidance for moving from learning to shipping real software.

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Growing as an engineer

Advice for engineers who want stronger habits, better judgment, and more confidence at work.

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Improving engineering practice

Practical guidance for teams that want healthier delivery habits, clearer expectations, and better software outcomes.

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Latest writing

A person drawing a diagram on a piece of paper — Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

28 May 2026, BST · 12 min read

Adding Mermaid diagram support to an Astro blog

Client-side rendering, a loading skeleton, theme toggle re-rendering, and a fullscreen lightbox

How I added Mermaid diagram support to this blog using a small remark plugin to bypass Expressive Code, a build-time loading skeleton, adaptive light/dark theming, and a fullscreen lightbox with no headless browser build dependency.

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3D render of a chat speech bubble icon — Photo by kuu akura on Unsplash

26 May 2026, BST · 11 min read

Adding comments to a static Astro blog with Netlify Forms

No database, no third-party widget — just Netlify Forms, three serverless functions, and an email

How I added a moderated comment system to this Astro blog using Netlify Forms as a queue, HMAC-signed approval links via email, and three serverless functions. No database.

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Opened envelopes spread out — Photo by sue hughes on Unsplash

21 May 2026, BST · 11 min read

Adding a mailing list to a static Astro blog with Resend

No third-party embed, no database — just a Netlify Function, the Resend Segments API, and a couple of components

How I added a newsletter subscription flow to this Astro site using Resend's Segments API and a Netlify serverless function — with a sidebar variant, honeypot spam protection, and accessible feedback, no external widgets required.

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A calendar with red push-pin buttons — Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

19 May 2026, BST · 9 min read

Scheduled publishing in Astro on Netlify

A date-aware filter, a scheduled function, and a daily build hook — no CMS needed

How I automated future-dated post publishing on this Astro blog: a central isPublished() helper that gates on both draft status and pubDate, a Netlify scheduled function that triggers a site rebuild each morning, and the one setup step required in the Netlify dashboard.

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a white square with a red circle on top of it

15 May 2026, BST · 6 min read

Sending new post notifications with Resend

A Node.js script that reads frontmatter, previews the email, and broadcasts to subscribers

How the post notification script works — reading frontmatter without a full Astro build, building an HTML email, sending a broadcast via the Resend Broadcasts API, and the safeguards that prevent accidentally emailing draft content.

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Netlify, a cloud computing platform that provides hosting and serverless backend services for web applications.

14 May 2026, BST · 6 min read

Deploying an Astro blog to Netlify

Build config, functions, cache headers, environment variables, and deploy previews

How this blog is deployed on Netlify — the netlify.toml build configuration, the functions and edge-functions directories, cache control headers, required environment variables, and the deploy preview workflow with passcode-gated draft visibility.

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For career switchers and engineers building confidence

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Founding enrolment opens soon. Take the full bundle for end-to-end context, or pick up the single course that matches what you need right now. 1:1 support is included whether you start with one course or take the full bundle. If you need more help, additional 1:1 sessions can be added.

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Community

1 day/month Free Clearly scoped

One free day each month for a charity

The charity sector is close to my heart, so I set aside one day each month for a charity or community organisation that could use practical help moving a digital problem or piece of work forward.

See how it works Ask if it is a fit

Growth, mentoring, and team impact

The feedback I hear most often is about calm leadership, helping engineers grow, and making teams work better together.

“Roger has been an exceptional tech lead and manager during my time at NewDay. He has a real ability to quickly unblock problems and create an environment where engineers can do their best work. He has been a great mentor to me and played a significant role in helping me progress from a mid-level to a senior engineer. I've learned a huge amount from working with him and really value the experience of having worked together.”

“Roger is, without question, one of the best technologists I know—a genuine visionary who translates innovative ideas into real-world impact and helps define best practices. His leadership is calm, thoughtful, and earns respect at every level. What sets him apart most is his gift as a teacher and mentor; throughout my career he has been my go-to for complex technical challenges and important career decisions alike.”

“As a product designer I've enjoyed working with Roger on New Day's SaaS product Fusion. He's a collaborative engineering lead who is deeply engaged in problem solving and thinks outside the box to find the best solutions for both business and users. Easy to approach, calm and always happy to talk through ideas, Roger is a great colleague to work with.”

“When we hired Roger a decade ago at Into Film, we couldn't decide between him and another candidate—so naturally, we took them both. Turns out Roger was worth it. As a principal software engineer, he solves problems I didn't even know existed, with a calm that makes the chaos of charity work look orderly. Ten years later, I still think hiring him was the smarter half of that indecision.”

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