Our very own Sean Habel has been chosen as our first “StickoutSpotlight” employee. We’ve asked him to answer some questions to get to know him and share what he brings to the team.
A: Backend Application Developer
Q: When did you start developing/designing OR when did you become interested in sales/marketing etc. come about?
A: I first became interested in programming in High School. I was always fascinated by the idea of creating something out of nothing. Which fueled my interest in both art and programming. Two fields that are interconnected with the idea of creation of something new. That is when I started dabbling in the connection between the two fields with various art projects that involved dynamically creating art through programming. This idea intrigued me so much I decided to go to college for Game and Interactive Media, due to the nature of games involving both fields. I knew I would eventually have to pick between the two and then decided to choose programming over art since I naturally had a mind more suited for logic than creativity. At the end of college I got an offer to create a web application and happily took it. Through that project, I learned that creating web applications allowed my to go back to combining both fields of art and programming, satiating both of those interests.
Q: What do you like most about what you do at BuildThis?
A: What I like most about BuildThis is the environment. I have never worked at a company so incredibly supportive of communal improvement of skills. Because the company itself is growing parallel to my own abilities, I am able to explore and expand my skillset constantly. Being surrounded by people all striving to be the best in everything they do is so incredibly rewarding. It constantly pushes me to always set the bar higher and higher each day.
Q: Where’s your ‘happy place’?
A: My “Happy Place” is definitely on the Volleyball court. I have been surrounded my entire life by the sport and it has grown not only to be my stress relief but a great way to keep physically active. It is rather common to see me on a court 3-5 times a week most weeks.
Q: What inspires you?
A: Progress. That alone is what inspires me. I am very much centered around self improvement. I very strongly believe that if you do not learn something new, or improve on something you have already learned, then you have wasted that day. Each day provides new challenges and I push myself to overcome them constantly. The day you stop learning is the day you start dying.
Q: If I wasn’t ____ (a web developer) I’d be _______.
A: If I wasn’t a Programmer, I would be either a Teacher or a Chef. If you haven’t already been able to tell by my other questions I very highly value education. I not only love learning myself but I love spreading knowledge. And in terms of being a Chef, the kitchen is one of my other “Happy Places”, I have been cooking since I was five with my Father and Grandmother. It has always been a way for me to express love to those around me, by cooking for those I care about.