Q & A with Nathan Gallagher
Q: What is your role at RocketBuild, and what does it entail?
A: As a software developer, I help code the various applications in RocketBuild’s portfolio.
Q: What three words might people use to describe you?
A: Conscientious, caring, passionate
Q: What got you into your career?
A: When I was on a research fellowship in the Netherlands I got to work with a database of historic shipping records. The project involved a lot of data cleaning, encoding, and analysis which got me interested in data and programming in general. From there I taught myself to code, worked as an analyst for a couple years, and eventually decided to make the leap into development.
Q: Describe your educational experience?
A: I have a BA in History from IUPUI, a MA in Nautical Archaeology from Texas A&M university, and a Master of Information Science from Indiana University.
Q: Describe your professional experience?
A: I pivoted from a career in history and archaeology to data analysis and programming. As a researcher I worked on shipwrecks from the United States and Europe, and got to do some work in the Netherlands and Spain. Since completing my MIS, I have worked as the Research Analyst at IU Kokomo’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, a teaching assistant with MSU’s Data Analytics Bootcamp, and now as a Developer with RocketBuild.
Q: What is your current favorite coding language or framework?
A: I’m enjoying getting to know Django. It’s fascinating to explore a robust back-end framework.
Q: What’s your favorite type of project or client to work with?
A: I’m a huge nerd for data, so I enjoy a project that makes good use out of data and helps drive insights.
Q: What are you super passionate about?
A: Climbing! I love the physical and mental challenge of it, and it’s a fun way to stay in shape.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, video games, and playing traditional folk music on my mandolin.
Q: If you had to stay up all night for a hackathon, what drinks and snacks would you need to keep you going?
A: Plenty of Polar seltzer and mixed nuts.
Q: Favorite local lunch spot?
A: Heartbreaker, because they have the best vegetarian burger I’ve ever had.
Q: Favorite band or artist?
A: Khruangbin
Q: Favorite place you’ve ever visited?
A: The Red River Gorge in Kentucky is my favorite place to visit. The area is beautiful and the climbing is excellent. My wife and I loved it so much that we got married there.
Q: A fun fact about yourself:
A: I’ve lived in four different states and four different countries.
Q: A random fun fact:
A: German chocolate cake was invented in Texas.
