It’s no joke! After leaving WebDevStudios four years ago, Brad Parbs has returned as a Senior Backend Engineer.
It’s not unusual for former WebDevStudios (WDS) team members to stay in touch, but it’s especially heartwarming now that one has come back to work with us. Who can blame him?
“I had been following some of the updates on what WDS was doing in the space, especially with the NextJS starter, and seeing all the tweets from team members being excited about that really showed me that WDS is behind it 100%,” says Brad. “I found some time to chat with a few people and find out more about what kind of projects the team has been working on, and it all sounded like really exciting stuff.”
This discovery seemed a great fit to Brad because he’s been getting into Jamstack, static sites, and a whole lot of React and Vue. “In the past, I’ve been fortunate to work on a number of Headless WordPress sites and other API-driven applications using WordPress as a provider. I fully believe this is future the web is evolving to,” Brad predicts.
It also helps that a good number of people who were at WDS when he left are still around. “I figured WDS must be doing something right if so many team members have been here for so long,” Brad added.
During his time away from WDS, Brad worked at different agencies in a variety of different roles. He never stopped developing, saying, “I have been working on plugins with millions of users; I’ve worked on projects that are interacted with by millions of users daily and have learned so much on a variety of subjects. And, of course, I’ve still continued to build weird websites and silly projects the entire time.”
Brad is only a couple of weeks into his return, but it feels like he never left. However, he did, and things at WDS have changed quite a bit, something he has noticed.
“When I originally started at WDS eight years ago, we were just starting to get into some of the larger projects that have become the norm. Projects on the enterprise level were very few, and the processes and workflows in place matched that,” Brad explains. “Although by the time I had left, these processes had improved, it’s amazing seeing how far the entire team and company has grown in the past few years. From my first day of re-onboarding, I have been amazed at how structured and organized the entire company is. Being able to see WDS move from being one of many agencies to being an industry leader is really amazing.”
What a compliment! Sure, Brad left WDS for a moment, but one thing that has remained consistent is his dedication to WordPress. Brad says there are a number of reasons for that.
“The main thing is the flexibility. The majority of the web is powered by WordPress, and that’s because it can be used in so many ways, like a simple static site, a huge eCommerce site, and API-driven application, the platform for a SAAS product, and more,” says Brad. “As I’ve grown as a developer, I’ve been able to work with WordPress for all of these different use-cases. As the web evolves, there’s always going to be a place for WordPress somewhere. The user-friendliness and editing experience is second to none.”
It’s clear that Brad’s talents and passions are going to complement that of our already established team. It’s exciting to see what Brad will build next. Meanwhile, Brad still has a cabinet of curiosities that he continues to work on. Yes, you read that right. Brad explains, “My wunderkammer is one of the things that I devote a ton of time and energy to. I have a growing collection of ‘interesting’ things. I love collecting bird skulls, taxidermy, antique medical tools, ancient tools, fossils, and so many other weird things. Recently, I’ve added some old mining scrip, a replica human leg, and a ticket from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. I’m not sure what’s going to be added next.”
Whatever Brad does decide to add to his cabinet of curiosities will certainly be as unique and special as what he adds to our team. WDS is happy to welcome him back!
Are you a former WDS team member ready to return? Or, would you like to be a new teammate? We’re hiring! Take a look at our job openings right now.