SparkFun is 20 years outdated this 12 months! We’re fortunate sufficient to have a bunch of workers which have been round for over 10 of these years, and we wished to share their reflections on their time right here with you. At present you may be listening to from Pearce Melcher.

Inform us about your background.

I do technical analysis and catalog administration. I have been at SparkFun for nearly 15 years now. I initially got here to SparkFun after dropping out of the College of Colorado which was getting too costly for me. My plan was to work a 12 months at SparkFun and return to high school paying the less expensive in-state charge. I used to be having fun with my time at SparkFun a lot that I by no means went again. Most likely want to try this in the future…

What’s your favourite venture you’ve seen our prospects make?

Favourite/coolest factor you’ve seen a buyer make with our merchandise?
You’ll be able to’t actually high the Mars Helicopter that makes use of a sensor they purchased from us. It is actually neat to know that one thing that is on Mars confirmed up in a SparkFun field. Now, I’ll say the cool tasks listing is infinite. I can even say there isn’t any scarcity of cool tasks being accomplished with SparkFun components, it is a minimum of a weekly incidence.

Pearce has been with SparkFun for 15 years!

Who’s SparkFun?

The land of misfit toys.

How has SparkFun developed through the time you’ve been right here?

Once I first joined SparkFun, it felt like a gaggle of pals who simply occurred to work collectively. It was neat placing within the further effort and dealing in such a collaborative surroundings. Sadly not a lot of that surroundings is left, nevertheless it is also a lot much less traumatic and arranged now. After we first began, it felt like we had been catering to hobbyists and a few college students (not mutually unique teams). However there wasn’t loads of perception into what individuals had been doing with our stuff. Now now we have a greater thought of who our prospects are and the cool stuff they do with our merchandise.

What’s your favourite spot within the constructing?

I might sit on the rooftop and stare on the mountains all day lengthy.

That is what a rooftop lunch break at SparkFun HQ appears like.

What was your first day like?

I stunned everybody in Manufacturing by displaying up injured. I used to be re-organizing my room in honor of my new employment, and it went awry after a mirror break up in half whereas I used to be carrying it. So, loads of the primary day was studying learn how to do PCBA with a bandaged index finger. But it surely was enjoyable and manufacturing shut down twice through the day: as soon as to observe a brand new online game overview and the second to go exterior and play hackey sack on a break.

How would you describe SparkFun’s tradition?

It is modified closely over time. I really feel it took a giant hit through the pandemic, but it surely’s nonetheless a tradition of working with good individuals. My favourite a part of working right here is the individuals I work with. We might be doing different issues, making stuff I do not agree with, however it would all the time be a tough determination to go away because of having fun with being round who I work with right here.

What’s your favourite reminiscence of being a SparkFan throughout these previous 20 years? Tell us within the feedback beneath, or inform us on Twitter, Instagram, Fb or LinkedIn.