Zone’s newest full-stack developer gives us the low-down on his journey since joining the agency in April.
1. Who I am and what I do
I’m Jacob and I’m a full-stack developer at Zone. I’m originally from a small town in South Africa where I’ve toured a lot and seen what the stunning country has to offer. Now, I find myself calling London home where I’m constantly amazed by the incredible amounts of personality and opportunity.
2. Why I chose to join Zone
Very early on in my conversations with people from Zone, I realised these are the type of people I’d like to spend my time with. Knowledgeable, friendly, approachable, ego-free, and they don’t take themselves too seriously.
It’s easy for an agency to be branded as such, yet in practice much easier to miss the mark. Zone hits the target spot-on and that culture is in everything we do.
3. I have mainly been working on
So many different things! Working in-house at a software vendor before I moved to Zone meant I didn’t get nearly as many fun things to work on. Now I’ve mainly been involved with building the Zone brand on a technical level, ensuring our internal practices are top-notch, and developing solutions for our clients that put a fantastic user experience right at the core.
4. The most important thing I have learned is
Don’t be scared to speak up and challenge the status quo, times move fast and we like to move even faster. No one takes being challenged personally as we all know we’re working towards the same goals. Having the freedom to do this means we ensure everything gets done brilliantly without stepping on any toes.
5. The most surprising thing about Zone is
The sheer amount of passion and expertise all around. The people you get to work with are all extremely talented and so passionate it’s almost certainly going to rub off on you. It’s one thing to be taught by your niece’s friends’ brothers’ uncle, it’s something completely different when it’s an expert in the field giving you a personal lesson.
6. My one piece of advice for other new starters is
If something seems interesting to you and you’d like to help speak up and get yourself involved. We don’t like silos or being forced to work on the same thing forever. It’s up to you where you go.
7. Describe Zone in three words
Welcoming. Eccentric. Honest.
