In this month’s employee spotlight, we’re profiling James Kirtley, Senior Software Engineer. From writing code that keeps our software at the cutting edge to dabbling in everything from LEGO builds to acting, James’s curiosity knows no bounds. He first joined the company in a rather unconventional way—through a chance late-night campus encounter—and has been sharing his contagious enthusiasm ever since.
Join us as we learn more about James’s journey, his passion for learning new skills, and the creative spark he brings to our team.
Q: Tell us about your role at Dimensional Insight.
My title is “Senior Software Engineer,” which means I write code. I mostly work on Workbench with the engineers in our Leiden office, but I’ve been involved at some level in pretty much every bit of software since CrossTarget Diver, and I’ve done a bunch of other things from trade shows to some of the intro videos we’ve got up on YouTube.
Q: How did your career here begin?
It was about 2am sometime in the spring of 1993 when Stan (Zanarotti, our CTO) walked into the office for the student programming group on campus and said “Who wants a job?”. I raised my hand and said “Oooh! Oooh! Me!”. He asked me two questions about what classes I’d taken and what my grades were, and then said, “You’re hired.” I worked as an intern for the next two years, and then when I graduated, I came on full time.
Q: As a senior engineer, how do you mentor junior team members?
Primarily through code reviews. All Workbench code passes through a code review process where a second pair of eyes looks over every change before it becomes part of the code base. I tend to be pretty academic in my process, so I’ll be happy to quote which rule of software engineering I think is being violated when I spot something wrong. We’ll also occasionally discuss code design in advance as well.
Q: How do you stay current with emerging technologies, tools, and best practices?
The short answer is that I’m on a lot of mailing lists. I also write code as a hobby, which is where I am much more likely to experiment with new technologies and try new approaches.
Q: I’ve heard rumors about your secret double life as a LEGO Master Builder. Care to share how those same engineering instincts you use on colorful plastic bricks translate to your coding and problem-solving at work?
I’m afraid those rumors are false. I love LEGO, and I have a lot of it, but I’ve watched enough Lego Masters to know that I’m not a master builder. I will say that coding is all about abstraction and modularization. The best programs are ones where the parts know the least about each other, except through predefined interfaces. With Lego you’d be happier with independent “Chunks” of a build that come together at the last moment, but in some ways, I’d say LEGO may be a poor analogy for programming, because you often need the bricks to overlap for stability. On the other hand, LEGO is inherently experimental (at least the way I build it), so being willing to tear things off and start over again is a good skill to have in programming.
Q: I’ve heard you’ve got some acting chops. Are there any dramatic techniques or theater tricks that help you ‘set the stage’ when presenting technical concepts to non-technical audiences?
I’ve never really thought about it that way. I’m sure there are, and I may even be applying them subconsciously. I’m generally a laid back kinda guy, and I try to let that carry forward in my technical presentations. I definitely try to make sure there are some laughs in there. If the audience is laughing then they’re with you, no matter how technical the material.
Q: I’m always curious to learn more about the people behind the code. What’s a fun fact about you, and how does that aspect of your personality show up in your work?
I like to try stuff. Besides the acting and LEGO, I’m also a writer, bass player and garage band level vocalist. I teach people how to play miniatures games in my spare time, and I’ve recently had my first board game published. I suspect it’s that willingness to stick my toes in lots of places (and the fact that I’m not shy in front of a crowd) that’s why I wind up doing fun stuff like YouTube intro videos and juggling in User’s Group presentations.
Q: You’ve seen a lot of projects, pivots, and breakthroughs in your time here. If you could pass along one piece of wisdom or insight to someone just starting out at our company, what would it be?
Dimensional Insight is a small company. Always has been, and I suspect it always will be. That means that you’ll occasionally be called upon to do stuff you don’t expect. Roll with it! I’ve learned and gotten to do all sorts of interesting things over my decades with the company. At the end of the day, though, Dimensional Insight is a friendly place that takes care of its own, so don’t be too worried that you’ll fall on your face trying something new.
We hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into James’s world and the many facets of his creativity—from code reviews to miniatures games and even a published board game. His story is a testament to Dimensional Insight’s spirit of exploration, collaboration, and willingness to embrace the unexpected.
Stay tuned for more team member spotlights, and in the meantime, remember that a dash of curiosity and a bit of humor can take you far, whether you’re building with LEGO or forging breakthroughs in the tech world.
- Meet the Dimensional Insight Team: James Kirtley - February 13, 2025
- Meet the Dimensional Insight Team: Alysha Rosewood - January 16, 2025
- The Appeal of Hard Seltzers and Craft Cocktails - April 29, 2024
