Meet Jack Franks, Senior Software Developer. Jack has been with Breakthrough Technologies since June of 2014. Among Jack's many and varied interests, software development is clearly a true passion, and his commitment to quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement is on display every day. Whether it's architecting an application as a technical lead, mentoring new developers, or presenting to the wider community, Jack's efforts are critical to BT's success and we're fortunate to have him on the team.
Why do you like working here?
I love the industries that we work in, and I really enjoy the technical freedom to implement requirements to be the most maintainable, most extensible ways to solve problems. I love adopting systems that are in progress or have already been built. It's like being a tourist in a new town where everything is new and exciting until you've moved in and then, suddenly, you know where everything is. I enjoy working the education field. I also really like that BT is progressive and accepting. We were implementing a student rostering system that integrates with a state student information system and we noticed that the source system only supplied legal first names. This is a problem for transgender students, for example, who can suffer serious traumatic consequences by constantly being referred to by their legal name, or deadname. We realized the problem and the entire team sprang into action to correct this: the business analyst prioritized creating new user stories for the new requirements, development was able to get to work on it right away, and management presented the problem and our student-focused preferred name solution to the client. This was an important effort to improve inclusion and the priority and enthusiasm BT gave this problem was truly wonderful.
What’s different about working at BT in comparison to other companies?
BT isn't too big and it isn't too small. We are great at dealing with client needs, and we are agile enough to be able to come up with creative solutions to all sorts of problems.
What projects are you currently excited about?
I am extremely excited about Venture, which is our formative assessment delivery platform. Currently, it is targeted to NGSS, the Next Generation Science Standards. The content itself is super interesting, and the platform opens up formative science content to folks who can really benefit from it.
What’s your favorite pastime or hobby?
I love cars. I have a couple of classic sports cars that I love to drive, maintain, and play with. I also enjoy TV and movies, and I have written several novels.
Do you have pets?
I love dogs, but I don't have one. My family keeps thinking about getting a dog until the funny dog videos we watch on YouTube show them chewing stuff up! Then we quickly change our minds and remain pet free. But please, tell your dog I said hello!
What is the last book or movie you can’t stop thinking about?
It's not a book or movie, but I am obsessed with the Apple TV streaming show Severance. It is perfect TV, that I am directly suited for. I love the aesthetic, the mystery, the cast... But to answer the actual question, I really love the 1970s French animated sci-fi masterpiece, Fantastic Planet. I am shocked that this hasn't been remade.
What are you looking forward to this summer?
Stranger Things 4, Part 2.
Three words used to describe you:
Efficient, forward-thinking, creative.
Thank you for all you do, Jack! Hope you have an amazing summer!