Role at aMDI:

I have been a Software Development Intern for aMDI since May 2017, so I’m coming up on a year and a half.

Why did you choose to major in computer science?

I actually started out going to GVSU for chemistry and my plan was to go into pharmacy. However, due to a bunch of reasons I won’t dive into here, in the middle of my junior year I decided I needed to switch to something that better suited my interests and “life path” so-to-speak. I had never written a line of code before in my life, but I decided to take the blind plunge and I haven’t looked back since.

Work experience:

aMDI is my first job that would fall within the bounds of my planned career. Prior to this, I’ve just had standard minimum wage jobs like food service and janitorial positions. I’m actually quite happy that this is my first taste of the real world as they say. Working here has taught me a ton and the rest of the guys are joys to work with.

You are graduating in December 2018, so what are your plans after graduation?

To be honest, I’m entirely winging it. I don’t have any specific plans for after graduation other than to hopefully find a big boy job. I have no preferences for where I’d want to work, or even what field I want to jump into. All I care about is that they pay me.

Skills that aMDI has helped develop:

As someone who has only been in his field for around 2 years, I have been able to learn a ton while working here. From client interaction and project planning, right down to software development itself, I have been able to learn and refine many of my professional skills.

Dream job:

I’ve always aimed to live by the philosophy that you should work to live rather than live to work. So I don’t have any specific idea of what my dream job would be. I hope to land a job that keeps me engaged during work hours and affords me the time to do what I want outside of those hours. Basically, I’m looking for something that will pay me enough to live comfortably and enjoy my hobbies.

Speaking of which, what are some of your hobbies?

Most of my hobbies are pretty standard boring stuff like playing videogames, hanging out with friends and playing soccer. Recently I've taken up bowling and watching TV shows like Game of Thrones. The nerdiest hobby I have would probably be playing D&D.

If you could listen to only one song for the rest of your life, which song will you choose?

A common mistake I make is that, when I enjoy a song, I listen to it continuously until I get absolutely sick of it. So I often ruin my favorite songs for myself. But currently, I’m a big fan of Selena Gomez’s Back to You and 5 Seconds of Summer’s Youngblood. If I was forced to choose, I think I’d go with Youngblood, because the drums are great.

Funniest thing you have heard being said at aMDI:

The guys here all have a great sense of humor, so there’s rarely a day that goes by where nothing funny or ridiculous is said. I think among the funniest is that, we have for some reason come up with the scenario that Cody’s arms are huge and muscular and insanely attractive. We are all jealous and in awe of them. We sometimes squeeze them for good luck.

Find Jacob Gonser on LinkedIn