Primitive Employee Spotlight: Matthew James

Name: Matthew James

Position: Web Developer

Location: Concordia, Kansas

Job Description:

I help create the front end of our websites and software projects.

Tell us a little bit about your background and how you found Primitive.

I was a sophomore in college when I began coding school on the side. I got into contact with Kade Wilcox from there and began an internship with Primitive. After that I went part-time while in college, and then transitioned to full-time work in January 2020.

How/When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in web development?

I wanted to pursue a career in web development specifically when I started my internship at Primitive. Initially, I was in the computer science field when I started, but the internship solidified what I wanted to do in my immediate future.

What excites you the most about Primitive’s future? 

I am excited to see the company grow. Our websites and projects have been getting exponentially  better since I started working here. To see the growth of the team and members is exciting, and to see the types of sites that other web developers here are creating makes me look forward to doing better.

Now let’s dive more into you! Do you have a daily routine or particular steps that you take every single day before you start work?

I don’t have a set schedule, yet. But, on my most productive days I wake up early, grab a cup of coffee, look at my list of what needs to be done and then set a goal for the day and work towards that. 

If I get more done than that — even better.

How do you like to stay motivated?

I find it easy to stay motivated at Primitive. The workers here, especially the ones I am closer with, make me want to strive to do better on the next project. I feel that we have a super positive work environment with encouragement that is through the roof.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?

My favorite thing to do outside of work, in no specific order, is to spend time with my family, friends, and girlfriend. Pool is one of my top hobbies, and I play a lot of pool with my parents. I have also been learning Japanese as well.

Do you feel as though you’ve achieved a good work-life balance? If so, indulge us in a few of your secrets!

I feel like this one is an easy one, and I think everyone has their own “good” work-life balance. I have two great project managers who I work with that always nail the amount of work for the team in our given sprints, and ensure they’re there for us when we need to communicate. Also, the teams I’m on have top-level communication. I think that having a solid team to work with, and on a more personal level, being a team member who communicates and works hard when on the clock, is essential when striving for a good work-life balance. 

Also, when you love what you do and love the people you do it with, you will rarely have that feeling of “too much work.”

What is something that not everyone knows about you? 

I can run pretty fast.

What is your secret to success?

I do not know if I have the experience, yet, to really touch on this subject. Success is a weird general umbrella term that could mean very different things. I think the biggest “success” I have right now is being happy. I have surrounded myself with people that I love and stay close with my family. This is the key to my success so far.

Are there any words of wisdom or anything else that you would like to pass along?

Do the hard things and when you need to do something, do it. Stay close with the people in your life and become closer with more.

And finally, if you could only watch one TV show or movie for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Psych is my favorite TV show and I have watched it many times so I would have to choose this show. I used to watch this show with my family and just have really enjoyed it ever since then. I wanted to become a detective when I was younger due to this show. I would always try to be hyper observant and put together clues. Then, I would try to guess something about what’s going on or about someone else.