Seven Questions with Jeremy Amos, Director of Technology at Marker Seven

What are you working on right at this very moment?

At the moment, I’m working on some data migration scripts for a site re-launch.

Cool. How did you first get into the field of technology?

My dad and I built a computer from scratch when I was 10 years old.

Did you go on to study it in school?

I did not study technology in school. I studied German literature and minored in English. Nearly completed the prerequisites for Fermentation Science and just ran out of time (Readers: Jeremy is a beer connoisseur). But I’ve always played with technology off and on, but it wasn’t until later in life that I decided to make the career switch.

What do you find most interesting in the tech world right now?

Ironically, I think we are at a difficult technological crossroads right now. Being a parent, I struggle with the role of technology in day to day life. I see the incredible value of interconnected data, yet I wonder what the cost is - specifically in regards to privacy concerns.

We often get asked “should I be wary of updating for Drupal 8?” What are your thoughts on that?

With every iteration of Drupal, there is always a window between the launch and the project actually hitting critical mass in terms of adoption and stability. It depends on the nature of the project and its needs. A vanity site? Could easily launch in Drupal 8. A rework of an existing site could be a much larger undertaking. Especially if there are extensive changes to the core.

What Drupal module can you not live without?

Depends on the project. Views is a big one. Devel module is extremely useful when developing. Entity API is a critical add on for Drupal 7; but won’t be needed for Drupal 8 because the functionality is extended.

What do you look for when hiring a developer?

Skills are essential, but a cultural fit in our organization is critical. The first can be learned, the second cannot.

 

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