March 4, 2021

Isaac Janzen

Hi there, it’s Isaac!

I’ve now been working with Brand New Box for a year and a half; with our transition to working from home and the majority of our work being web based, it has made it more difficult to meet the people behind the screen. So here is a deeper look into myself, and hopefully I have the opportunity to learn more about you as well.

What was your introduction to programming?

I was introduced to programming through my brother in law, Mark. He was a Brand New Box employee at the time. He taught me many of the basics of programming, and opened my eyes to complexities of Ruby and Ruby on Rails.

How long have you been programming?

For about two years. I began programming on a daily basis when I started a bootcamp through Kansas University in October of 2019.

What has been different in your experience working with Brand New Box vs. other tech positions you have had?

This is my first position as a web developer, but my experience has been extremely positive. When searching for a place to work after graduating from school, I wanted to find somewhere where I could have an impact and bring value to the team. I had many friends that worked at large corporations and felt lost in the sea of people. It can be easy to lose the personal and relation aspect within these large teams. BNB has built a team of people that care deeply for each other. A highlight of my work week is sharing a meal as a team on Wednesday afternoons.

What technology are you using that has improved your day to day work workflow?

We use Visual Studio Code as our primary IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and it has made a world of a difference. Not only are you given amazing features such as an integrated terminal, but you also have access to a library of millions of free extensions to fit every need.

Whether that be stylish colorways

or git integration to help you find the culprit of that error that has been driving you crazy (generally myself).

Saturday afternoon, what can we find you doing?

I love spending time at home or outside with friends and family. It has become tradition on Saturday mornings to have breakfast at my wife’s parents home. After that we are going on a bike ride, playing with our dog, building lego, or going out to eat. Drinks, snacks, and sunshine are a must.

Do you own any animals?

Oh yes.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Growing and learning alongside my team here at BNB. Continuing to expand on my skills, and learn new frameworks and design patterns. See this article by Paweł Dąbrowski to get a glimpse of what I’ve been reading. I would love to have journeyed on a cross state bike trip with Gigi, and have traveled to Brazil to visit her family. Gigi and I also have the intention of starting a family, so maybe a couple of kids running around.

It has been fun chatting with you :) I hope we can talk more soon. Please email me at isaac@brandnewbox.com if you have any other questions or just want to talk, as I would love to connect.