Employee Spotlight: Geoff

We're shining a spotlight on Geoff this week, our Lead Developer in Digital Services. Geoff's been with EPM for two years and has been coding since university as well as working as a 3D artist for some time, and he's an expert in Java and C#, among other things.

How did you get into Developing? Can you talk us through your journey from the beginning?

My first bit of coding was at university, but I actually spent most of the time building pneumatic systems and circuit boards. I worked as a 3D artist for a few years after leaving for a few years before getting back into coding via a project someone wanted me to do for them. I now code in Java and C# and a few other things. I get to mix coding and 3D while working in Unity which is great.

What are you passionate about in your career?

Designing and building systems that work and are maintainable, breaking down a seemingly impossible task into smaller parts. I also like looking at high-level architecture and designing things to work in the most efficient way possible.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your career, and how was it overcome?

The biggest challenge is staying relevant, so I am always trying to learn the latest technologies and programming languages. I have recently learnt Dart & Flutter, which helps me understand the projects I am leading.?

What do you find are the main differences between working in an agency and working in-house as a developer?

In an agency, you are more likely to have a variety of tasks which is great. Working in-house on more extensive projects, you are more likely to carry out the same task and know the project you are working on inside and out. Both have their issues!

What are your interests outside of work?

Mainly motorcycle mechanics, camper vans, walking our dog, fixing various vehicles, travelling when possible, and of course coding.

What's your dream project to work on?

I've worked on some very cool stuff over the years, and I've ticked many boxes. We have some very interesting things in the pipeline at EPM, which I'm enjoying working on. I think an F1 or Formula E simulator would be a great thing to build or possibly something for NASA or the European Space Agency. Also, seeing how far we can push AR & VR.

What are you learning at the moment?

I'm writing a couple of apps at the moment to improve my Dart skills. I also have a few Java apps I work on now and again.

If you could go back in time ten years ago and give one piece of advice to yourself, what would it be?

I'm not sure, but here are a few: Ignore the doubters and bypass energy-sapping types and maybe do even more travelling!

What sort of skills should someone have if they wanted to follow in your footsteps?

Be adaptable, be tenacious about what you want to do. Read industry-standard books on what you want to be good at, rather than fall down the google rabbit holes to dodgy code and copypasta. Learn in a way that works for you, and don't get too hung up on formal training. Also, if you can learn one programming language, you can always learn another. Build things to be platform agnostic too, programming languages can be very similar, so don't be afraid to switch. Try to build a small proof of concept pieces before embarking on the larger version of the project. Follow open-source projects and kickstarters, keep an eye on future tech, and sign up for early access if possible.