Jim is a close friend with whom I an honored to work. Here’s what he wrote as a biography:
I am fortunate to have been building software for close to 30 years. In that time I have worked in many different industries including healthcare, golf courses, market research and finally ticketing and admission control for amusement parks, museums, zoos and aquariums, tours and attractions, and ferry operations. Currently I have the pleasure of being the principle software architect at Gateway Ticketing Systems and am fortunate to get to design and develop lots of new and interesting products.
Twitter: @jfritchman
What is your favorite programming language and why?
C-Sharp (C#) is my current favorite language. The reasons are many but some of them would include it’s still evolving, it is easy to learn, it has modern language features, it is very versatile, it has awesome developer tools and now there .NET Core. The future is bright for C# and .NET Core because it’s developed by Microsoft which will make endless iterations and add useful features and they made the ingenious decision to open source .NET Core.
What one piece of advice would you give to a rookie developer?
Practice, practice and more practice. Programming is no different than any other skill you want to master. You have to practice to get better. Also, read other’s people code. The amount of source code on GitHub is astonishing, so find some high quality open source projects and study the code.
What is your favorite open source project and why?
There are quite a few but the top of the list is .NET Core. .NET Core is what Java should have become but Oracle has killed that dream. I would also like to include Dapper and Polly which both solve issues that almost all applications face.
What would you say to the developer that was you five years ago?
Focus on the server side, as the front-end side will always be in a constant state of flux.
What one book should every software developer read?
Domain-Driven Design by Eric Evans
What is the worst advice that you commonly hear given to developers?
“Learn this language” or “learn this framework”. Don’t focus on frameworks and language; they are always changing. Instead, focus on problem solving and design principles.
What have you done as a developer of which you are most proud?
For me it is designing and building software that literally is used by millions of people every year.
Bonus Question: What is the answer to the one thing that I should have asked you?
Always work to be part of a group or team that is filled with smart and energetic people. Both are very contagious and will make you better.