Meet Jake, one of 13 students in the first cohort at Emerging Digital Academy (EDA).
Jake first moved to Fargo during college to receive his associate’s degree in Graphic Design from MSTATE. He became increasingly interested in web design and entrepreneurship, and has been attending Startup Weekend for several years now, even winning first prize for an app he created, Terrain Finder!
Professionally, Jake has been searching for the right fit for a long time. He has worked in graphic design, print production, vinyl/sign installation, fabrication, manufacturing 3D modeling, and more. He has previous experience at Prime Digital in Minneapolis, so he was drawn to EDA when he learned about our shared curriculum. For him, applying to Emerging Digital Academy was the decision he needed to make to get out of the rut he was in.
WHY EDA?
“EDA was the opportunity I knew I wanted to take and the only option I knew would get me to where I want to be.” Jake shared. “I have known Blaine for a while and been interacting with Emerging Prairie for a few years now. I think it’s awesome how Emerging Prairie seizes the best for the Fargo community. With that being said, it was easy to jump aboard the EDA train to full-stack programer town.”
Jake is looking forward to kicking butt and learning the technology to build incredible programs, and his list of ideas keeps getting bigger the farther along he gets.
“My career goals are to get a career in/at an organization that wants to look towards the future and wants team members to help push it there. I want to help build creative tech and resources to solve problems and help people.” said Jake.
Being in the entrepreneur community, Jake has his eyes on a few local companies. He loves the culture that companies like Bushel and CoSchedule have created, and has heard incredible things about new startups such as Codelation, Harvest Profit, and OmniByte. He would also be excited to work on the Grand Farm project, as the intersection of software and agriculture fits into his previous experience on a farm and in manufacturing.
Have a story similar to Jake’s? Take the first step to your new career at www.emergingacademy.org.
