TG Spotlight: Erik Wessel

Q: What was your favorite subject in school?

A:  Early on it was Reading. In high school, it was my English Lit classes.

Q: What is your spirit animal and why?

A:  The Owl. Owls are independent and perceived as wise, not to mention mysterious and fierce predators. They fly quietly, and are extremely perceptive.

​Q: What’s your favorite book?

A:  Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. I read it when I was 12, and it really solidified my interest in fantastic and speculative fiction, and I’ve re-read it many times over the years.

​Q: Where is your favorite vacation spot?

​A: The mountains in winter; anywhere there’s a ski resort. Summit county CO, is the central hub for me.

​Q: Is there anything on your bucket list??

​A: I’d love to go to Faribanks, Alaska, or Reykjavic, Iceland for the Summer Solstice. Similarly, Stonehenge on Summer Solstice would be interesting.

Q: Do you have any hobbies/activities you like to do in your free time?

A: I’m an avid reader, and I love to play video games and spend time with my dogs. Occasionally I indulge in writing my own fiction.

​Q: What do you love best about your job?

A: Learning about clients. Whatever tool or technology you’re using, doing something for a new client or a new project for an existing client can always give you something to learn. Learning about new technologies is always enjoyable, as well.

Q: What has been your best experience at TG so far?

A: Getting to know the team here. Whether you enjoy the work you’re doing, or it’s a hard slog, having a team you get along with–that has members who support each other–is what makes the difference between a good job and a great job.

​Q: What technologies have you worked with or enjoyed working with?

​A: I started with the basics of HTML way back at the beginning of the 90’s and as my career progressed, picked up new technologies along the way. I transitioned into application coding with PERL not long after that, and then learned Java. After that were PHP and Ruby and the frameworks that go along with them. Throughout all of that Javascript kept popping up in new ways.

Right now I’m really enjoying using a tool called Vagrant for creating virtual environments for development. Looking forward to learning about Docker for the same reasons.