Q: First off, what drove you toward engineering? Have you been tech-minded since diapers, or did something spark your interest down the line?

A: My mother bought a computer for her court reporting job. One day I saw discs with a picture of Indiana Jones on the cover. I immediately began trying to install the game when she wasn’t home. Back then, installing software wasn’t trivial, but I eventually hacked config.sys to make it work! I was hooked on computers from that point on.

Q: You’ve worked specifically in app development for a while now. How much has the industry changed since you began?

A: The bar has been raised. Applications are now really polished products and almost all website-driven companies offer apps. I believe the days of the janky HTML5-driven experiences will eventually end. Using web browsers is frustrating on mobile devices; users will want native apps designed for their phones that are quick, responsive, and usable.

Q: For those of us who have no clue, what does a day in the life of a VP of Engineering look like?

A: My main job is getting people “unstuck.” The engineering team often needs help with emergencies, operations, security, bugs, and communication with other teammates. I help them through these issues so they can get back to building new ideas. The daily cycle is answering questions, checking on teammates, reviewing code in git, and hacking on problems.

Q: What one essential tool you use daily?

A: Git. Git is a godsend for software engineers. It basically keeps an accurate history of who changed what when, so when there’s any kind of issue, I’m able to see who did what where. Git is also a place were users share code and ideas.

Q: Do you have any career role models or products that inspire you?

A: Rands hosts a great blog: randsinrepose.com. He wrote one of the best management books out there—a great read even if you’re not a nerd.

Q: What’s the most challenging part of your work day?

A: Emergencies. If it’s 4 AM and the pager goes off, I have to start working. There is no “off” time. I always need to be near a computer. Emergencies require getting to the core of a problem quickly, and people are not in a good mood. Once the issue is fixed, precautions have to be taken so the situation doesn’t happen again.

Q: What about the most rewarding part?

A: Helping people build cool things. Seeing people use software that was built by the team is really exciting.

Q: Got any good engineering jokes?

A: What do you call untested code? Broken. What do you call tested code? Probably broken.

Next time a problem is fixed, you know who to thank—James, and the Rock Stars he’s been chugging since 4 AM. Cheers to engineers!