Meet the Team – Jack

Meet Jack: From Occupational Therapy to Building CoApp’s Future

Jack’s journey to becoming CoApp’s sole full-time software engineer is anything but conventional. Starting his career in occupational therapy, Jack never imagined he’d one day be writing code, let alone building the systems that power an innovative healthcare startup. But with a mix of curiosity, resilience, and a drive to constantly improve, Jack transitioned into the tech world and quickly grew from a junior developer to a mid-level engineer at CoApp.

In this installment of our Meet the Team series, we’re spotlighting Jack’s story—his unconventional path into software engineering, his passion for problem-solving, and what motivates him to tackle complex challenges every day.

How did you get into your current role?

I went to school at USI (University of Southern Indiana) for Occupational Therapy and graduated with my Bachelors degree in General Studies (Kinesiology/Biomechanics focus) and an Associates degree of Occupational Therapy Assistant (the piece of paper I actually used). After graduating, I moved to Anchorage, AK for a calendar year working in a pediatric outpatient clinic and then moved to Fresno, CA AKA the armpit of California. In California, I stayed in pediatrics and worked in a school system for a school year before my in person work was cut short by the COVID pandemic and the remainder of the year was spent working remotely. During that period of remote work, I started to think about my career and if this is what I wanted for the rest of my life (it wasn’t) and began learning Python via YouTube/Udemy. That intro into Python completely shifted my perspective on what my naturally curios yet pragmatic brain was meant to be doing with my career. After my rotation with the CA school system, I moved back to Indiana (home state) and began working at UPS to continue my studies by enrolling at IUPUI to obtain a MS in Computer Information Science. After successfully completing the necessary pre-requisite coursework in CS to be able to apply to the MS program at IUPUI and then ultimately being accepted, before the first semester of my MS coursework I received a Junior Software Engineer role at Dr. Tavel. Then, after continuous effort and growth at Dr. Tavel was offered a Software Engineering opportunity to help actualize the vision that is CoApp today. 

How do you stay motivated during challenging projects? 

I stay motivated because when challenged with difficult things, you get better and are able to take on increasingly more challenging projects. With that and time, most of anything can be achieved. 

How do you approach giving or receiving feedback? 

Be candid, genuine, and most importantly don’t take yourself too seriously. You can learn from anyone and have the capacity to teach even your most senior leadership new things, just be considerate of the human on the other end. 

What is your favorite thing about working on this team? 

The deep appreciation and commitment to candor and camaraderie. We challenge each other, hold one another accountable, and we laugh along the way. 

What’s a professional goal you are working toward? 

Earning my first Professional level AWS certification. I currently have two certifications (one foundational and one associate level) with AWS and am aiming for a third one. Once achieved, I will start thinking about specializing as a DevOps Engineer or a Solution Architect and target that as my first Professional level AWS certification. Ultimately using these skills learned to enhance CoApp’s service offering and improve our operational excellence in the cloud. 

How do you like to unwind after a long day at work? 

Nothing beats physically demanding exercise. After a long day spent mostly in a chair, staring at a computer screen, getting active and pushing my body physically helps me mentally reset in preparation for another day of building (software that is). 

What’s a hobby or interest that you’re passionate about? 

Tennis. It’s the best sport in the world from my perspective and I love playing it, watching it (live), and following the sport as it progresses over time. I grew up with a tennis court in my backyard and a big pool barn that I relentlessly hit tennis balls against until my dad had to replace the panels and occasionally a glass sliding door. I played from age 7 and hung up the competitive side after playing in college, now I just do it for great exercise and an excuse to spend hours in the sun. 

What’s your guilty pleasure snack? 

Culver’s cheese curds. I worked there all throughout HS and have never been able to kick the habit. SO DAMN GOOD. #gowisconsincheese 

If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be? 

Shane Gillis because then I’d actually be funny instead of faux funny. 

What does CoApps mission mean to you personally? 

Helping people. CoApp will transform the depth of quality a business’s core services can offer and through this, we at CoApp have the real opportunity to make the lives of the real people those businesses serve better through transference. 

What do you think sets our team apart? 

We are a group of aligned and determined individuals all aiming to impact a business sector that sorely needs what we are building. We all have the drive to learn new things when needed, as our CEO (Kent) states in our company values, “The buck stops with each of us, there will often be no cavalry to call in.”, and I can write with confidence that each of us live this in our own professional capacity every day at CoApp. 

Favorite Vacation Spot 

Hyeres, France 

What excites you most about the future of CoApp? 

The real opportunity to make a meaningful impact through building cool technologies and learning a metric ton of new perspectives, subject matter, and a wide array of both life and professional skills. 

What motivates you to make an impact? 

Being better than yesterday’s Jack in any capacity. Whether that is growing physically through physically demanding tasks or intellectually through scratching my curious brain by talking to the ChatGPT man about random things that pop into my head. I am motivated by constant growth and ultimately living a fulfilling life. 

How do you define a meaningful day? 

A meaningful day, to me: 

Getting physically active in the gym or on a tennis court, spending quality time with my wife snuggling or exploring (both are my safe spaces) and challenging myself in a new way.