I'm a South African technology enthusiast building my career across Data Analytics and Software Development. My interests include exploring data, solving practical problems, developing web applications, and creating technology that makes information more useful and accessible.
Through my learning journey at Umuzi, independent projects, and collaborative hackathons, I'm developing the technical and professional skills needed to turn real-world problems into practical solutions.
My portfolio serves as evidence of what I'm learning, what I can build, how I approach problems, and how I apply technical skills in practice.
- 📊 Data Analytics: Exploring, cleaning, querying, and interpreting data.
- 💻 Software Development: Building frontend applications, backend APIs, and database-driven systems.
- 🧩 Problem-solving: Applying structured thinking, research, and iterative development.
- 🤝 Collaboration: Learning through team projects, mentorship, and hackathons.
- 🎯 Career goal: Prepare for junior data analyst and software developer opportunities.
khuliso_john = {
"location": "South Africa",
"career_focus": [
"Data Analytics",
"Software Development"
],
"learning_environment": "Umuzi",
"data_tools": [
"Python",
"Pandas",
"SQL",
"Excel"
],
"development_tools": [
"C#",
"ASP.NET Core",
"React",
"JavaScript",
"TypeScript",
"Node.js",
"MongoDB"
],
"current_project": "SA Job Market & Unemployment Analysis",
"goal": "Build useful, evidence-based technology solutions"
}📊 Data Analytics
I'm developing my ability to turn raw data into useful information through data preparation, exploratory analysis, querying, and visualisation.
Current areas of practice:
- Cleaning and preparing datasets with Python and Pandas.
- Querying and analysing data using SQL.
- Using Excel for calculations, data organisation, and reporting.
- Investigating patterns, trends, and relationships.
- Communicating analytical findings clearly.
- Developing Power BI skills for dashboards and business intelligence.
Evidence: Explore my GitHub repositories
💻 Software Development
My software development work focuses on building practical web applications and backend services that integrate APIs, databases, authentication, and external services.
Areas of practice:
- Frontend development with React and JavaScript/TypeScript.
- Backend development with C#, ASP.NET Core, Node.js, and Express.
- REST API design and integration.
- Database operations with MongoDB and SQL databases.
- JWT authentication and protected endpoints.
- Version control, documentation, debugging, and deployment.
Evidence: Explore my GitHub repositories
Focus: Data Analytics | Python | Pandas | SQL | Excel | Power BI
An analytical project exploring South African employment and unemployment patterns using job-market and unemployment datasets.
Objectives:
- Clean and prepare datasets for analysis.
- Explore job advertisements, job titles, and regional patterns.
- Investigate the distribution of employment opportunities across provinces.
- Examine in-demand skills and potential trends.
- Compare job-posting patterns with unemployment indicators where the data permits.
- Present findings through charts, summaries, and dashboards as the project develops.
Evidence of skills: Data cleaning, exploratory data analysis, querying, analytical reasoning, and data storytelling.
Important limitation: Job advertisements do not represent every available job. Any comparison with unemployment statistics must consider source coverage, definitions, and reporting periods.
Project evidence: Explore my repositories
Project status: In development. Add a direct repository link here once the project repository is published.
Focus: Software Development | Node.js | Express | MongoDB | JWT | React
A collaborative hackathon application designed to connect clients and freelancers through gig listings, applications, and skill-building activities.
Key functionality:
- User registration and authentication.
- Client gig creation and freelancer gig discovery.
- Application workflows with pending, accepted, and rejected states.
- Skill-building activities and progress tracking.
- Backend API and database integration.
Evidence of skills: API development, authentication, database modelling, CRUD operations, collaborative development, and working under a deadline.
Source code: SkillBridge on GitHub
Developed collaboratively with Naledi as a hackathon project. See the repository for the implemented features and current project status.
Focus: Design Thinking | Research | Prototyping | Problem-solving
A community-focused marketplace concept designed to help small businesses, independent service providers, and local producers become easier for nearby customers to discover and contact.
Project highlights:
- Defined a problem around local business visibility and customer discovery.
- Used simulated survey data to explore reported customer and seller challenges.
- Prioritised local discovery, business profiles, trust signals, and WhatsApp contact.
- Developed a prototype concept informed by the problem analysis.
- Documented the design-thinking process from problem definition to proposed testing.
Evidence of skills: Problem framing, interpreting data, user-centred design, feature prioritisation, prototyping, and documentation.
Source code and documentation: Explore my GitHub repositories
The project uses simulated survey data, so its results should be treated as exploratory rather than representative research findings.
Focus: Full-Stack Development | React | ASP.NET Core | MongoDB Atlas | Brevo | JWT
A full-stack personal portfolio platform built to showcase my work and provide visitors with a way to contact me and read technical blog posts.
Key functionality:
- React-based frontend.
- ASP.NET Core Web API.
- MongoDB Atlas persistence for blog posts and contact messages.
- Contact form integrated with Brevo transactional email.
- JWT-protected administrative blog operations.
- Environment-based configuration for deployment.
Evidence of skills: Frontend-to-backend integration, REST API development, database integration, authentication, third-party service integration, and deployment preparation.
Source code: Explore my GitHub repositories
Live portfolio: Visit my website
Replace the placeholder with your deployed portfolio URL and link the exact repository once confirmed.
| Skill | Current focus | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Python and Pandas | Data manipulation and analysis | Job-market analysis and notebooks |
| SQL | Querying and retrieving data | GitHub repositories |
| Excel | Formulas, data preparation, and reporting | Practical exercises and analysis work |
| Data cleaning | Missing values, duplicates, and inconsistent data | Analytics projects |
| Exploratory analysis | Identifying patterns and trends | Python notebooks |
| Power BI | Developing dashboard and visualisation skills | Future dashboard projects |
| Skill | Technologies | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | React, JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS | Portfolio and project repositories |
| Backend | C#, ASP.NET Core, Node.js, Express | SkillBridge source code |
| Databases | MongoDB Atlas, SQL, PostgreSQL | Portfolio platform and backend projects |
| API development | REST APIs, HTTP methods, request validation | Portfolio platform and SkillBridge |
| Authentication | JWT, protected routes, role-based access | Backend project implementations |
| Development practice | Git, GitHub, documentation, debugging | GitHub profile |
Tools and proficiency evolve as I complete more projects. Repository evidence should be used to assess my practical experience.
Whether I'm analysing data or developing software, I follow a structured approach:
- Understand — Define the problem and who it affects.
- Investigate — Identify requirements, data, and constraints.
- Prepare — Clean data or plan the application structure.
- Build and analyse — Apply the appropriate tools to the problem.
- Validate — Test results, assumptions, and functionality.
- Communicate — Explain the solution, findings, limitations, and next steps.
- Improve — Use feedback to refine the work.
I believe a strong portfolio should show not only the final result, but also the reasoning, evidence, and lessons behind it.
- Establish a foundation in Python and Pandas.
- Practise SQL queries and database operations.
- Work with datasets in Jupyter Notebook.
- Build and collaborate on full-stack software projects.
- Document technical projects and their objectives.
- Strengthen Excel skills through practical business tasks.
- Complete and publish the South African job-market analysis.
- Develop end-to-end data analysis projects with clear recommendations.
- Build interactive Power BI dashboards.
- Improve statistical analysis and data interpretation.
- Publish project case studies with screenshots, results, and lessons learned.
I'm interested in connecting with data analysts, software developers, mentors, and organisations working on meaningful technology and data-driven solutions.
I'm open to mentorship, collaborative projects, learning opportunities, and suitable entry-level opportunities in data analytics and software development.
- Portfolio website: Visit my portfolio
- CV: View my CV
- GitHub: KhulisoJohn
- Dev.to: @khulyso
Learning continuously. Analysing thoughtfully. Building with purpose.