Jonathan Tower is known to friends and colleagues simply as "J." J. is a Microsoft MVP, Telerik Developer Expert, and the founder of Trailhead Technology Partners, a global custom software consultancy. With nearly 25 years of experience in the industry, J. has held roles ranging from senior architect to director of development, and now leads a team building high-quality, large-scale applications across a wide range of technologies.
J.'s technical expertise spans C#, .NET, ASP.NET MVC, and modern JavaScript frameworks, along with mobile app development. But what truly sets him apart is his passion for building community. He's the driving force behind Beer City Code, Michigan's largest software conference, and serves on the board of SoftwareGR, a nonprofit dedicated to growing the software industry in West Michigan.
He's also a frequent speaker at conferences and meetups around the world, a LinkedIn Learning course author, and a mentor to many through his work with robotics teams and local tech groups.
Outside of tech, J. is an adventurer at heart. He and his family recently completed a year-long road trip across the U.S., visiting 58 of the 63 national parks. He's also a fan of photography, hiking, reading, and catching every Best Picture nominee before the Oscars.
Topics of Discussion:
[3:30] Fun fact! J. has been to 58 of the 63 national parks, with his current favorite being Glacier National Park.
[4:46] J. explains his early interest in creating things and his discovery of software development in middle school.
[7:33] J.'s journey into leadership and consulting.
[11:04] J. talks about his Blue Blazes podcast and the inspiration behind the name.
[14:27] The "shiny object syndrome" and the misuse of microservices architecture.
[15:06] Understanding the true needs of a project before implementing complex solutions.
[21:20] AI should be viewed as a collaborative tool, not a replacement for team members.
[22:51] The insight that J. got at a Ford Factory about how AI can help us shape and create jobs instead of just replacing them.
[27:50] J. mentions he recently released courses on Dome Train about migrating legacy applications.
[29:05] Choosing the framework that is the most similar model.
[31:29] The type of traits that J. would look for in a lead engineer or a team leader.
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