Welcome Matt Baker, our fab new Back-end Development Director
Culture | 3 MIN READ
We caught up with Matt Baker, who joins our development team as Back-end Development Director. We asked Matt about his career, vision for the role, and what colleagues and clients can expect.
Firstly, welcome Matt. Tell us about your career to date and how you arrived at Fresh Egg.
Having studied computer programming and television production and worked for a year in the USA as a computer technician (and waiter in the evenings), I needed to decide if I wanted a television or a computer-based career. I chose the latter as I felt it was a more stable career path.
I started as a junior developer specialising in the C programming language. I have since worked with many languages, becoming a full-stack developer. I went from working permanently in my 20s to becoming self-employed as a contractor in my late 20s.
Being self-employed allowed me to work in many industries, such as marketing, television, energy, games, ecommerce, travel and finance, to name a few.
I arrived at Fresh Egg mainly due to 'Taz' (Fresh Eggs recruitment services manager) telling me what a fantastic company it was. After several discussions, I was sure I was making the right choice.
The world of dev is constantly evolving. You get left behind if you don't keep up with the latest trends. Previously, developers had only to learn a single language that worked on one platform. These days, it's all about multiple languages across multiple platforms.
Matt Baker, Back-end Development Director
What are you going to be bringing to the dev team?
I have a wealth of experience from multiple companies and industries. It will be great to see what's in place and what ideas I can share to help complement or improve things for everyone. I also hope to relieve some of the pressure off other developers by sharing the workload.
What made you choose Fresh Egg as your next career step?
As mentioned, 'Taz' was the reason and after speaking to team members, it felt right. It would be a significant change for me, but I feel it's the right one, and I hope to be an asset to Fresh Egg.
What from your previous jobs will you bring to your new role?
Business knowledge, development knowledge, languages, software, systems, practices and a friendly, personable person to talk to!
How has the world of dev changed as a specialism in the last few years?
The world of dev is constantly evolving. You get left behind if you don't keep up with the latest trends. Previously, developers had only to learn a single language that worked on one platform. These days, it's all about multiple languages across multiple platforms. A lot to keep up with!
Do you have a web project you need support with?
What is the one tool that you cannot do your job without?
These days, several choices of tools usually help you do your job. I would say Visual Studio (although I have used JetBrains Rider and VS Code).
How do you see dev in the future? Will AI be a significant influence?
In my opinion, you will always need devs in future. Its form may change as we have (and can use) AI tools to help us code. You should be able to create more efficiently with projects delivered faster and more complex as you get more for your budget (which is often time-based).
How do you stay on top of changes in the ever-changing world of dev?
Most companies allocate time for some in-house R&D, which helps to see if there are better products or process improvements. I still read various tech blogs to see what's happening. If I spot anything of interest, I search Pluralsight, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and Google to see if there is any material on it.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction when doing your job?
My greatest satisfaction is when the team is happy. It's getting the balance of the work that needs to be delivered in the time allocated without being overworked or underworked.
What is your favourite tech company, and why?
My favourite tech company is Epic Games. They created the 3D gaming engine called Unreal Engine 5. I find the world of 3D development fascinating. I did a project to amend some 3D kitchen software in Unity (which uses C#), and that's when my interest started. Before that, it was Microsoft, as a lot of the software I use is Microsoft-based.
If you could only use one website (or app), which would you choose?
Well, the only site you need is Google! That gets you everything. If I had to select a single site (excluding Google), it would be YouTube, as I get to watch content I'm interested in.
What do your friends and family think you do for a job?
It seems that I am the go-to place for worldwide technical support. I am the first person to ask for any computer problems (software or hardware). I don't mind. They do know I'm a programmer, though.
What's your go-to hobby out of work?
My hobbies outside of work are pretty varied. I know some people don't have hobbies at all. I do. Mine are houses (I have a rental property business), Golf (I'm rubbish at it, but it's because my daughter and son do it as a job), Gaming (I enjoy co-op multiplayer games with my other son plus creating games), cruises (I know a bit about ships), building and fixing PC's, and gardening. Hobbies on pause (due to time) are the family tree and playing guitar/piano. I still go to the odd music festival with my friends each year.
Finally, (the most important question) what is your favourite way to eat an egg? (if there is one)
My favourite way to eat an egg – lol! Well, I guess I make my wife, and I breakfast each morning, which includes boiled eggs, so I pick it up and munch my way through it long end first. But, no sauces or extras (we always try to be healthy and calorie-conscious in our house!).