With a background in Mechanical Engineering, Rich Oswald completed DigitalCrafts‘ 16-week full-stack immersion program as a career pivot into technology. With a new framework of skills including JavaScript and Python, Oswald completed projects that tie in to the SalesForce, ZenDesk, and Chrome platforms.
Oswald has an interest in business administration, scrum, and even Ethical Hacking, a discipline that finds vulnerabilities and security flaws to help companies with security breaches. “My curiosity drives me to continuously pursue knowledge,” he shares.
This junior programmer ready to take on the next problem that comes his way and find a creative, out-of-the-box solution, especially at a company with purpose. Catch this constant learner while you can!
What is your previous education?
I have both a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University, as well as an M.A. in Professional Counseling from Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta.
Why the interest in the technology field?
I am interested in the technology field because of the culture. I like its creativity, its fast pace, and its ability to practically help others. I like the breadth of opportunities within it. It provides an ideal place where I can use my creativity, interest in cutting-edge trends, and soft skills in one field.
What tech projects have you worked on?
One project I worked on with a classmate was to create a dashboard that connects to ZenDesk to display tickets given and completed for members of the tech support department at Calendly. It was deployed for their use in December and is still being used today.
Another project I’ve worked on is DigitalTasks — a Chrome Extension to manage tasks; it integrates with Salesforce. [My classmates] and I completed it and made it available on the Chrome Extension Store.
My capstone project is called Facesforce and it is a contact visualization and management app that integrates with Salesforce. It displays contacts’ headshots as nodes with lines indicating the contact path to the user. It will also allow viewing of the data associated with the contact through a series of dropdown menus and provide links to email or phone options. It will be built using React, Ajax and Node.js.
What tech tools are essential to you as a developer?
For me, a good code editor like VSCode or Atom is essential to productivity and efficiency in writing functional and clean code. Chrome Dev Tools are fantastic tools to help debug and verify app functionality. Also, online docs, videos and articles are essential to deepening understanding of the functionality and syntax of a particular language.
How do you stay informed and on top of emerging trends?
Networking with colleagues and experts in the field gives me many perspectives and specifics of what is going on in the industry. I read posts on social media sites like Slack and LinkedIn and email newsletters from industry leaders and educators. I also expand my information base by watching online classes.
What are your best technical or creative skills?
I am a creative problem solver. I am able to see problems from various perspectives and merge them together to come up with unique solutions. I am an excellent question asker and listener; I value the experiences, insights and education of others. I have a drive to complete tasks with high craftsmanship and see both the functionality and aesthetics as important requirements.
What’s next on your list to learn?
I look to do things efficiently and appreciate agile methodology. I also highly value servant-leadership/equipping others to succeed. So, it is near the top of my list to get training on Scrum and complete Scrum Master certification. I am also fascinated with Ethical Hacking and have been taking a class on it since early in my bootcamp experience.
I plan to continue gaining skills in this area and use them to keep information safe. Business administration is high on my list, as well. I want to better understand the business side of the industry and am taking an online class to increase my business knowledge.
Are you interested in working for a startup, mid-sized company, or a corporate giant?
The culture is very important. I want to be at a place that values people and drives to improve their workforce as much as their product or service. I am fast-paced, passionate and driven by mission. The product or service the company is providing needs to be one I can get behind. Size is not as important as the people and purpose.
