I’m Mika Epstein, known in the WordPress world as the Half-Elf Rogue.
I use WordPress, I write plugins, and I’m well versed in the ins and outs of WordPress, code and community.
Let’s be clear, I know WordPress pretty darn well, but that’s not all!
Profiles
Platforms
Quick WordPress.org Hits
- Forum Member since April 2006, posted in over 10k topics, mostly to help total
strangers. - Forum Moderator since October 2010 (currently on hiatus).
- Plugin Review Team Representative (aka Lead) from 2016 through 2023.
- Developer of multiple plugins, contributor to more.
tl;dr
I worked for a bank for 14 years, hosting for 10, and Agency work for 2, and handled myriad levels tech support and development for everything from CEOs to Data Entry.
Through all that, I was a volunteer moderator in the WordPress.org forums. I reviewed over 50 thousand plugins and have spoken at international WordCamps.
But I’m so much more.
What’s Not In My Résumé!
It’s not going to tell you that when I was four I set up a Novation CAT modem at my grandmother’s condo so I could file her accounting data while she made me french toast on a Sunday morning.
It won’t tell you all about my father, a Risk Analyst who worked on the Challenger Disaster and, until his death, lived in Japan helping the Nuclear Power Commission there to prevent another Fukushima Daishi accident. I learned about risk, probability, and the difference between the two at his knee, such that when I hear people say they want an upgrade process with no risk and zero-downtime, I cringe at their unrealistic expectations.
My résumé certainly won’t tell you that I’ve been running a fansite for over 25 years because I wanted to see how you made a webpage, which subsequently taught me WordPress, MediaWiki, and Hugo.
It won’t tell you I co-developed, built, and maintain the worlds largest resource in LGBTQ representation of female, non-binary, and transgender characters on international television. It neglects the fact that I love playing D&D as a perpetual DM, I have a bicycle that I prefer to a car, and my wife tolerates my deep love for the Cleveland Guardians MLB team.
Risk Analyst
(WordPress)
Fan site for Jorja Fox
(Hugo)
LGBTQ+ Database
(WordPress)
Writing a professional, computer themed, résumé makes me leave off things like how I’ve worked for a family owned dance wear company doing inventory and stocks, a restaurant waitress, hostess, and barista in a one-Starbucks town, spent a few summers on a farm, and done home repair.
Most companies wouldn’t care than I’ve performed voice over work and acted in plays as well as doing a small spot on a local PBS station. Certainly my work in lighting coordination, costume design and set design for small theater productions isn’t notable to tech companies.
And yet by ignoring those things, I would be ignoring the aspects that went into making me a free-thinking, left-wing Dot Communist kid.
My passions and skills are a direct result of all those things.
While I have worked for “The Man” for a long time, I never let it get me down. I’ve long looked at my job as a great piece of performance art that lets me play with computers, learn new skills, and get an understanding for the machinations that runs our society. I learned you should always accept the blame for your screw ups, be honest when you don’t know something, and be willing to try anything.
While my love for WordPress is great, I also recognize that it’s not always the best tool for the job. I’ve use ZenPhoto, NetPhotoGraphics, PHPNuke, SHTML, Drupal, MediaWiki, Hugo, and home grown PHP to handle content that just works better that way. I don’t let my passions cloud my vision, and I know there isn’t one perfect answer for every site. I have a realistic love affair with WordPress even when I disagree with methods or decisions. I see it for its beauty, its flaws, and its future.
I bring a vast array of support experience to the table, but I’m an adaptability and automation specialist too. A huge part of my job has been my team dropping a list of issues on me, first thing in the morning, and asking me to figure it out ASAP. I became the ‘expert’ of multiple technology stacks simply by noting the lack of documentation and taking the work upon myself. When it comes to automation, I love to build reusable scripts that require minimal input to reduce risk.
I can be the gatekeeper who, complete with pointy wizard hat, shouts “You will not pass (without the required data)!” I can be builder who bridges the support staff gap between technical programmers and form fillers. I can be the tech-writer, documenting what we’ve done so the new hire in India can pick up the work and go, with a bare minimum of training.
Everyone always asks what my weaknesses are. I don’t suffer fools gladly, or at all, and that can lead to me being perceived as cold or angry. I try to keep out of arguments where there is no common ground, which results in people believing me to be unwilling to discuss matters. I’m untrusting of how places like Facebook and Google use private data. I would say my weakest WordPress related skills are direct SQL calls and JavaScript but, it’s like saying I’m better at walking than running.
My dream job? It would be amazing to work on LezWatch.TV all the time, or even make bagels (approved by real New Yorkers). But I want to also work for groups making significant and needed change in the world and, in order to make the world better, I need to keep working in the related fields and keep abreast of current technology.
Employment History
Awesome Motive (12/2024 — current) [NEW]
Senior Developer for Research & Development. Working on internal projects and contributing to WordPress.org core and systems as part of Five For The Future.
XWP (08/2022 — 10/2024)
WordPress Developer on multiple projects, developing bespoke features, including calling remote APIs for data, storing them locally, and keeping them in sync. Worked on importing hand-hewn HTML to WordPress, updated code to be more sustainable and updatable, estimated risks and utilized that information to minimize downtime for clients.
During this time, stepped down as the Plugin Team Representative and remained on in an advisory capacity.
DreamHost LLC (08/2012 — 08/2022)
Senior WordPress Developer on the Product Engineering Team, tasked with managing and maintaining our Varnish installation and configuration, the official Varnish Plugin, as well as other minor internal works (WP-CLI add ons). Worked on multiple teams such as Tech Support and Servers before moving to engineering to help maintain the Managed hosting service for WordPress from the ground up, including server updates and improvements in both software and hardware.
During this time, assumed the role of Plugin Team Representative on WordPress.org and was sent to multiple WordCamps to speak and represent DreamHost.
The Northern Trust Company (02/1999 — 08/2012)
Vice President of Worldwide Operations and Technology (05/2005 — 08/2012)
Senior technical lead of the Code Migration Team, responsible for installing in-house software on application servers in multiple environments, including Linux, Solaris Unix, Windows Server (NT through 2003), and Netscape Webservers. Designed workflows in Mercury Project and Portfolio Manager (aka Kintana) to handle installations and scheduling across multiple platforms, designed BASH scripts and DOS scripts to automate installation. Lead support of PVCS Version Manager and its integration with third-party software. Assisting Introscope and Sitescope integration, as well as implementing Watchmouse.
During this time, promotions to Second Vice President and later Vice President were received.
Officer of Worldwide Operations and Technology (09/2003 — 05/2005)
Working in application certification as a senior technician to standardize and deploy software through the company by working with the business partners and technical liaisons to create self contained packages. Worked on the XP migration project as well as XP SP2 testing, while still providing backwards compatibility for NT and 2000. Assisted in hardware configuration of testing lab.
Officer of Worldwide Operations and Technology (05/2002 — 09/2003)
Working on the Standard Workstation Image team as the chief designer and support for an in house build of Internet Explorer (v 5.0 SP1 through 5.5 SP2), maintaining team web pages, assisting in the development of a standardized operating system for NT, 2000 and XP, updating McAfee Virus Scan settings, and propagating updated data across the network.
During this time, promotions to Senior Software Engineer and later Officer were received.
Software Engineer (02/1999 — 05/2000)
Continued working in application certification as a Software Engineer to standardize and deploy software. Assigned to assist the Year 2000 project, by helping install, configure and test computers for emergency use.
New Boston Systems (04/1998 — 02/1999)
Working at the Northern Trust in application certification to standardize and deploy software through the company by working with the business partners and technical liaisons to create self contained proprietary packages.
Still on the Fence?
- I’m passionate and dedicated.
- I’m not a job jumper.
- I have dice in my purse.
Hire Me!
While I am not actively looking for a role at this time, I am always open to opportunities and change.