We at eskimosoup don’t shout about our Technical Team as much as we should. They’re an amazing bunch that could have become super villains with master plans to enslave the world, blow up the sun, or even turn the Humber Bridge a shocking pink just for a laugh, but instead they use their powers to create top-notch websites, content management systems and simply breathtaking code.
Adam Poskitt is one such evil geni… er… I mean techie person. As an eskimosoup Developer, he’s worked on projects for numerous clients. Non-technical eskimosoup reporter Rich Sutherland pulled Adam away from his computer screen and some programming language called Ruby (which has nothing to do with the Crown Jewels) on a framework called Rails (Thomas the Tank Engine isn't involved) to learn a bit more about his role.
RS: Poskitt, you work with computers, websites and code every single day; did you study a relevant course beforehand?
AP: I have no formal education in computer science. When the time came for me to decide whether or not I wanted to further my education, I decided I wanted to do just that. That said, I wanted my work and career to be something that I would be proud to voice (I'm not ashamed to say that I'm an egotist), so I took a different approach.
RS: So if it wasn’t a formal education, what kind of training have you had?
AP: At the time, I thought I wanted something more challenging than working a 9-5. I opted for a career in the Army working in IT as an Engineer or Technician. I trained with the Army for 3 months with this as my focus, but dropped out when my personal life became more than difficult. Even now, I reserve a place in my heart for the military. After leaving, I was unemployed for months, but I started working at eskimosoup on Monday 16th February 2009 and have loved every minute of it, even the fact that it’s 9-5.
RS: Have you always had a passion for… er… oh, I’ve gone blank. You know, those box things?
AP: Computers?
RS: Bingo.
AP: I've spent most of my life in computers. Whether it was helping out at school, experimenting at home with new software technologies or even selling them when working in retail.
RS: And what exactly do you do here?
AP: Since starting at eskimosoup as a member of the four-person Technical Team, I have developed, or at least been involved with, over one hundred websites. My job title is Developer; I build, maintain and extend sites for our clients. I strive to bring my experience from each of them to new applications that I'm responsible for.
RS: Sooooo… you make internet webpage things work?
AP: Yes, Sutherland, I make internet webpage things work. *sigh*
RS: What’s your current project, then?
AP: I've been working on websites for Vivergo Fuels, A. B. Rooms Locksmiths and the Humber and Yorkshire Coast Cancer Network campaign Throat wrecked? Get it checked!
RS: Blimey. Varied.
AP: Absolutely.
RS: And what’s your all-time favourite project?
AP: The development work on Vivergo Fuels' two websites. One is to promote their business that I mentioned earlier, the other is a partner portal that represents data from XML files that they upload in the form of bar and line graphs, making it easier for their partners to extrapolate data on their facility; this is protected by a secure login system.
RS: Blimey.
AP: You’ve already said that.
RS: I thought it was worth mentioning again to be safe. Anyway, what do you get up to when you’re not extrapo-mo-lating the Exxy Mel from the barren lines of the logging system? (Did I get that right?)
AP: Close enough. Well, despite my pedantic and specific criteria, I love to read and am an avid gamer. I enjoy writing but have found little time for it in recent years. I also find myself spending an unhealthy amount of time on Twitter.
RS: Oh yeah, I hear you follow some pornographic feed.
AP: Geographic. National Geographic.
RS: Ah.
AP: And NASA.
RS: So you make universally accessible websites at work, and enjoy keeping up to date with the world and the stars in your spare time?
AP: Huh. That was quite eloquently put… for you.
RS: Blimey.
AP: Ugh.
Next week’s Team Spotlight will be on Becky Duncan, eskimosoup’s Marketing Assistant and shoe lover.
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