Name

James DeVries 

Title

Programmer

How do you help clients?

I listen, ask questions, and apply the knowledge from my years of software development experience to deliver what the client needs.

What led you to here?

A friend suggested I look at Far Reach as a potential employer and I was immediately drawn in by the core values. The impression I got is that Far Reach is a company that values its employees and the work it does. In my experience, a fulfilling job comes from who I'm working with, not just what I'm working on, and Far Reach delivers in both criteria by providing interesting projects and a great company culture.

Tell us about your background or training.

I have a 17-year software development career so far. I've had the opportunity to work with a variety of technologies and implement solutions for a variety of domains—from tools focused on developer productivity to end-user applications. This variety has provided me great insight into how computing can make the world a better place.

What is your work mantra?

Do the right thing at the right time.

What are you reading?

"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas. "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson.

Who do you follow?

No specific individuals. I keep up with the ACM's learning webcasts and Queue Magazine to stay on top of trends in the world of software engineering. 

Where do you see the field going in 1-3 years?

I think we'll see a growth in serverless computing, which will be a shift in how we think about the composition of applications and services but will provide a great opportunity to improve developer efficiency and web application scalability and reliability.