Introducing Dan; our fun, adventurous and passionate nomadic Software Engineer
Although one of our most strategic software engineers, Dan has the longest commute to our studio of all the team with his average journey stacking up to around 24 hours. Which is why you’ll most regularly see him on video calls from his home in Cape Town.
Growing up Dan wanted to be a fireman but it was his burning passion for Rugby that he first tried his hand at in employment.
Dan studied Music Tech and not one for sitting on the sideline, also started his own Digital Publishing company with some friends. It was through this work that he really began to learn his stuff in the development field.
Coding had always been a hobby, until he began to realise that he could switch his hobbies around and enjoy music whilst earning a living as a developer. One of the things he loves most about development is that ‘you don’t need a certain degree to be a developer; it's accessible to everyone’.
The perfect blend
Dan has his own unique way of seeing the world and winning people over to his way of thinking; ‘Subtly and kindly manipulative for the greater good’. Which he claims is a gift born from being the youngest child.
His real attributes are his eagerness to help colleagues, always with a huge encouraging smile and a healthy dose of positivity. Dan thrives on finding patterns in processes and seeking out alternative solutions to provide the very best for our clients. He laughs a lot and always supplies vast quantities of less healthy snacks on his visits to the studio. He loves good food and wine, but isn’t above helping his team members to assemble a more basic gingerbread house.
For someone so deeply reliable and consistent, Dan is surprisingly whimsical when it comes to moving countries. He claims to currently be on a permanent holiday, having not yet returned from South Africa since going there on holiday in 2002. During his permanent holiday from the UK, he also lived in New Zealand for four years. He says he loves to travel but really enjoys having a local knowledge of all the best spots and hidden gems. We guess that goes some way to explain!
Having somehow found a quintessentially English thatched cottage in Cape Town to call home, Dan has an amazing roof to his home office. It has been known to see the odd spider creeping down from here during video calls, and even a gecko. We have also been treated to photos of the occasional slippery visitor in their back garden which was hiss-terical to some of the team. And caused hiss-teria for others.
Hit me with your best shot
Dan can’t understand why people ‘lose their peanuts’ over avocado. This foodie needs texture and flavour. But coffee is where his true passions come alive.
In his search to find a good coffee shop in the UK, Dan once opened a coffee shop and learnt to make the very best brew. He claims the secret to the best mug of coffee is to be slow and consistent. When someone makes him a coffee but misses the small, important touches it really grinds him down.
Brightec is happy to have passed the consistency test, thanks to the coffee recipe that lives on the inside of our coffee bean cupboard specifying the exact weight of beans to be added to the machine per pot. Unfortunately, we fell a little flat (-white) as he finds it too strong and dark. He strongly encourages anyone to try Ameritado but we’re yet to find a coffee shop that’s heard of it!
Espresso-ly for you
Dan claims ‘developers are a mixed bag’ and he likes to walk the tightrope between the different worlds of personalities typical within the sector. Describing himself as ‘a technical chameleon’ is an interesting observation for someone who so deeply values consistency.
When asked the age-old question; ‘What app would you create if you had a limitless amount of time and budget?’, Dan needed some time to think. After weighing up his social responsibility, he responded; ‘I’d love to say that I'd want to create an app to solve world hunger or cancel out third world debt, but all I really want is a good cup of coffee.’
Given the time and budget, Dan would make an IOT app that enables anyone to create the best cup of coffee possible given the equipment, environment and beans that they have; whether it's enabling the person to properly control their Nespresso machine or helping them to dial in the best pour over. ‘I think this would also help resolve the ongoing Brightec coffee recipe saga, which in a way would be helping out on the world peace front’.
We really can’t espresso how much a good coffee means to this guy!
Click here for more mobile app development prowess from Dan.
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