United States — Available for new opportunities

Sean
Carter

Engineer. Explorer. Photographer.

I build things, explore places, and capture moments. Passionate about technology, travel, and the stories that connect them.

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Professional Journey

Where I've Been

From first job to principal engineer — a career built on curiosity, ownership, and relentless craft.

2018Education

State University

B.S. Computer Science

Graduated with honors, focusing on software engineering and distributed systems. Led the computer science club and competed in national hackathons.

JavaPythonAlgorithmsData Structures
2018 – 2020Work

StartupCo

Software Engineer

First engineering role at a fast-growing startup. Built full-stack features from scratch, contributed to mobile apps, and wore many hats in a small team.

ReactNode.jsPostgreSQLAWS
2020 – 2022Work

Tech Corp

Senior Software Engineer

Joined as a senior engineer on the platform team. Designed microservices architecture, mentored junior developers, and drove technical roadmap planning.

TypeScriptKubernetesGoSystem Design
2021Milestone

Open Source

Core Contributor

Became a core contributor to a popular open-source developer tooling project with 10k+ GitHub stars. Drove major feature releases and managed the community.

Open SourceCommunityCLI Tools
2022 – 2024Work

BigTech Inc.

Staff Engineer

Promoted to Staff Engineer within 18 months. Led cross-functional initiatives impacting 50+ engineers and owned the developer productivity platform.

LeadershipPlatform EngineeringMentorshipRust
2024 – PresentWork

Dream Company

Principal Engineer

Currently working on large-scale distributed systems and driving engineering culture. Shaping the technical direction for teams across multiple product areas.

ArchitectureStrategyAI/MLEngineering Culture
Outside of Work

What I'm Into

The pursuits that keep me curious, grounded, and always planning the next adventure.

Food & Dining

A self-declared food enthusiast. From hole-in-the-wall noodle shops to fine dining — if it's delicious, I'm there.

Hiking & Outdoors

There's nothing like earning a view with tired legs. I hike whenever I can — national parks, coastal trails, mountain ridges.

Reading

Heavy on non-fiction — history, biographies, and science. Currently building a bookshelf that could double as a room divider.

Music

Vinyl collector, concert-goer, and amateur guitarist. Music is the constant background track to everything I do.

Photography

Through the Lens

Landscapes, streets, architecture, and wildlife — a visual journal of everywhere I've been.

View All 18 Photos
Mountain ridge at golden hour

Rocky Mountains, CO

Narrow alley in Tokyo at night, neon lights reflecting off wet pavement

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Looking up through a gothic cathedral nave

Notre-Dame, Paris

Travel

The Map So Far

Countries explored, cities lived in, moments collected. The journey is very much ongoing.

22

Countries

12

Cities

Highlights

New York City

The city that never sleeps — countless visits, never gets old.

Tokyo

The city that changed how I see everything. Perfect in every way.

Paris

Every cliché about Paris is true. Worth every one of them.

Kyoto

Quiet temples, bamboo forests, and cherry blossoms in April.

22

Countries Visited

Food & Dining

What I Eat

A lifelong obsession with great food — restaurants that changed how I think, dishes I dream about, cuisines I'd travel for.

Must Try
Restaurant · Japanese

Ichiran Ramen

Multiple locations, Japan

The single-booth ramen experience in Tokyo. You order, sit in your private booth, and receive a bowl of tonkotsu perfection through a wooden curtain. Life-changing.

RamenTokyoTonkotsuMust Try
Must Try
Dish · Mexican

Tacos al Pastor

Mexico City, Mexico

The trompo spinning on the corner, shaved onto a tiny tortilla with pineapple and cilantro. Mexico City does this better than anywhere on earth.

Street FoodMexicoTacos
Must Try
Restaurant · Basque

Arzak

San Sebastián, Spain

3-Michelin star Basque cuisine in San Sebastián. The tasting menu is an event, not a meal. Every plate is a conversation.

Fine DiningMichelinSpainTasting Menu
Must Try
Dish · Thai

Pad Thai (Street Vendor)

Bangkok, Thailand

Not the pad thai from a restaurant — the one made by a woman on Khao San Road at 11pm on a wok blackened by years of use. That pad thai.

Street FoodBangkokNoodles
Restaurant · Japanese

Sukiyabashi Jiro

Ginza, Tokyo

The sushi counter that inspired a documentary. 20 pieces, no menu, pure precision. One of the greatest meals I've ever had.

SushiTokyoOmakaseFine Dining
Restaurant · Austrian

Café Central

Vienna, Austria

Viennese coffee house culture at its finest. The Sachertorte and a melange coffee in a room that looks frozen in 1880.

CoffeePastryViennaHistoric
Must Try
Restaurant · Cantonese

Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum

Hong Kong

The world's most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant. The baked BBQ pork buns are legendary — crispy, pillowy, and worth any queue.

Dim SumHong KongMichelinBreakfast
Must Try
Restaurant · Spanish / Basque

Asador Etxebarri

Axpe, Spain

Fire, smoke, and the best ingredients in the Basque countryside. Victor Arguinzoniz cooks everything over custom wood grills. Simple. Perfect.

GrillSpainWorld's BestFine Dining
Dish · French

Crêpes from a Street Cart

Paris, France

Nutella and banana from a cart near the Seine at midnight. Never replicated. Never will be.

Street FoodParisDessertNostalgic
Dish · Indonesian

Nasi Goreng

Bali, Indonesia

Indonesian fried rice with a fried egg on top, eaten at a warung at sunrise after the Batur volcano hike. Context is everything.

IndonesiaRiceBaliBreakfast
Restaurant · Contemporary Spanish

Disfrutar

Barcelona, Spain

The spiritual successor to El Bulli, run by three former head chefs. Molecular gastronomy that manages to be fun, delicious, and completely surprising.

Molecular GastronomyBarcelonaWorld's BestTasting Menu
Dish · Argentine

Empanadas from La Cocina

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Beef and cheese empanadas from a tiny corner spot in Buenos Aires. Three dollars, zero pretension, absolute perfection.

Street FoodArgentinaEmpanadas