Comic-style illustration of Cody Williamson

Cody Williamson senior software engineer · OneStream Software

From borrowed computers to cloud systems.

I have always been drawn to technology. Even without regular access to a computer growing up, I found any excuse to be around it. Family desktops, borrowed laptops, and eventually a MacBook Air gifted to me for graduation. Gaming pulled me into the world of tech, but curiosity kept me there. I tinkered, broke things, learned to fix them, and stumbled through Codecademy exercises late into the night. I never thought of it as a career. It was just something I felt at home doing.

College introduced me to programming more formally. C, Java, simple games, small APIs. But I was not ready for it, and I dropped out despite having a full ride. A few years later, I was married, working retail, and expecting our first child. That was the moment I knew I needed a real path. I taught myself web development through FreeCodeCamp, built my first personal site, built one for my stepdad’s lawn care business, and eventually landed freelance work with Mindvolt in 2019. Six months later, I got my first full time engineering role working on a NASA contract. That is where I became an actual software engineer.

I wanted to keep climbing, so I went back to school and finished my BS in IT from WGU in one year while earning several certifications including the CompTIA trifecta. In 2022, I joined OneStream Software where I found my lane in Azure, serverless architecture, Durable Functions, and technical leadership. I have grown into a development lead, architect, mentor, and someone who cares about building reliable systems and helping other engineers grow. In 2023, I launched Spectacle Software as my freelance brand, which I continue to build on the side.

Read the long version Client work & Spectacle Software

Career timeline

10 stops, oldest first.

  1. 2015

    Finding Tech Any Way I Could

    Borrowed family desktops and hand me down laptops to tinker with games, settings, and the web. Learned basic web concepts and Codecademy exercises on whatever machine I could get in front of. This is where the curiosity really started.

  2. 2016

    College, C Code, And A Hard Reset

    Got my first exposure to formal programming with C, C++, and Java. Built small projects like a weather API and dice games, and started exploring the terminal on a MacBook Air. Then I burned out, dropped out on a full ride, and walked away before I was ready for that world.

  3. 2018

    Retail, Marriage, And A Wake Up Call

    Married, working at Publix, and expecting our first child. Watching my parents spend their lives in retail made it clear I needed a different path. I decided web development would be it and committed to teaching myself seriously.

  4. 2018

    First Real Projects

    Worked through FreeCodeCamp, built the first version of my personal site, and shipped a site for my stepdad's lawn care business. The designs were rough, but they were real, working projects that proved I could deliver.

  5. 2019

    Breaking In Through Freelance

    Landed a freelance role with Mindvolt and started working with a small local agency. Learned how real client work operates, how to communicate, and how to ship things that matter to actual businesses. Still collaborate with them from time to time.

  6. 2019

    First Career Role On NASA Work

    Joined Sure Secure Solutions and worked as a subcontractor on a NASA contract via Leidos. Built web applications to manage IT and track contract performance across NASA centers. This is where I transitioned from self taught dev to actual software engineer.

  7. 2021–2022

    Degree And Certifications On Fast Forward

    Went back to school at WGU while working, finished my BS in IT in one year, and earned several certifications including the CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, ITIL, Data+, and Project+. Closed the education gap that had been limiting my career options.

  8. 2022

    Finding My Lane In Azure

    Joined OneStream Software and moved deep into Azure development. Focused on serverless architecture, Durable Functions, and distributed systems. Grew into a development lead and architect, helping design solutions, write standards, and mentor other engineers.

  9. 2023

    Launching Spectacle Software

    Formalized years of freelancing into my own brand, Spectacle Software. Still a side gig, focused on building sites, tools, and automation for real people and small businesses. A place to experiment, learn, and build outside of my day job.

  10. 2025

    Today And What Comes Next

    Today I work as a development lead and Azure focused engineer at OneStream while growing Spectacle Software on the side. I am focused on building reliable systems, mentoring other developers, and creating a life that serves my family well while still pushing my craft forward.

Work experience

OneStream Software

Senior Software Engineer I

– present · full-time · remote

Building cloud infrastructure and distributed services for a global SaaS platform using Azure, C#, and Durable Functions.

more detail

Automate infrastructure and services behind a global SaaS offering. Design and build REST APIs and distributed orchestrations with Azure Durable Functions, extending them with patterns like results handling and retries. Deliver infrastructure as code with Bicep, implement CI/CD pipelines, and containerize workloads with Docker. Deep expertise in Azure services including App Service, Batch, Functions, Storage, Redis, and SQL. Write automation in PowerShell, develop internal tools with Angular, and mentor engineers while driving standards for documentation, API quality, and secure practices.

  • C#
  • .NET Core
  • Azure
  • Durable Functions
  • Docker
  • Bicep
  • PowerShell
  • Angular
  • REST APIs
  • Redis
  • SQL Server
onestream.com

Spectacle Software

Founder & Freelance Web Developer

– present · freelance · remote

Building modern web applications and automation solutions for small businesses—from e-commerce to headless CMS and internal dashboards.

more detail

Run a consultancy delivering modern web and automation solutions for small businesses. Build e-commerce platforms, headless WordPress sites, and internal dashboards using Astro, Vue, TypeScript, and .NET. Integrate APIs, automate workflows, and deploy scalable systems with Docker and cloud services. Own client delivery from discovery to deployment, with a focus on speed, maintainability, and measurable business value. Building and maintaining custom websites and full-stack apps since 2019—delivering reliable, long-running solutions for clients across industries.

  • Astro
  • Vue
  • TypeScript
  • .NET
  • C#
  • WordPress
  • Tailwind CSS
  • Docker
  • Azure
  • WooCommerce
spectaclesoftware.com

Sure Secure Solutions

Software Engineer

– nov 2022 · full-time · remote

Modernized legacy systems into secure .NET applications under NASA contract, meeting strict federal compliance requirements.

more detail

Modernized legacy systems into secure, API-driven .NET applications under a NASA contract. Built cross-platform automation tooling in PowerShell, Python, and .NET to support Windows, Linux, and macOS environments. Delivered secure, lightweight front-end applications (vanilla JS) that met strict compliance requirements. Designed dashboards, remediation tools, and data pipelines that removed manual workload and standardized IT operations. Authored requirements, design records, runbooks, and API documentation to ensure compliance and long-term maintainability.

  • .NET Core
  • Angular
  • PowerShell
  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • REST APIs
  • SQL Server
suresecuresolutions.com

Off the clock I'm a husband and a dad of three, and we're a baseball family, so I coach my kids' team. We also have six dogs and two cats, and Brindlee, who was with us through all of it, has a small tribute.