Alumni Spotlight: Jake Ols

Since graduating last year Jake Ols has been taking a gap year to work on some personal projects and give more focus to things he didn’t have time for while at TGS.  Read more about what Jake has been up to since graduation below.

TGS:  Tell us how you planned your gap year experience and what your main priorities were during this time.

Jake: I planned my gap year experience fairly loosely. I wanted this year to be a time where I could focus on things that I wasn’t able to give my full attention to while at TGS. My main priorities were simply to code and work on some interesting creative projects.

TGS: What are your future university/professional plans?

Jake: I plan to go into software development and then hopefully product management (surprise). I’ll be attending The University of San Francisco next year, so I’ll be right in the heart of the tech scene. Having the opportunity to be a part of a community filled with some of the most talented designers and engineers will be half the learning experience.

TGS: What clubs/groups/activities/professional organizations are you currently affiliated with?

Jake: Because I’ve been traveling so much currently I haven’t put down many roots to join groups or professional organizations. I’ve found the GitHub Open Hack events to be a lot of fun to attend though; most are extremely laid back and take place in cities all over the world. It’s a great place to see what types of projects other people are working on and just share your ideas.

TGS: Any current project or activity in particular you would like us to showcase?

I’ve been working on a mix of different projects. The biggest one is a result of the status app I built for TGS. Because there was no app already out there for team location management, I got to work developing a more generic version of the TGS status app with better usability and some upgraded features, such as real-time updates for the web side and an integration that sends updates via Slack.

I also helped lead a weXplore in San Francisco. During the weXplore we covered the basics of iOS app design; three groups came up with their own ideas for iOS applications and then created prototypes and pitch decks. I was extremely impressed with how great the projects turned out; it was also an interesting experience to be on the leading side of a weXplore.

In addition to all of that, I’ve also been working with BananaDog Media, a Las Vegas creative agency, where I help develop and design different software projects.

Lastly, Joshua Buse and I founded a small design and development company after graduation where we work on small websites and design projects. You could say it’s been a pretty busy year so far.

TGS: What is the biggest payoff TGS has given you in your uni or adult experience so far?

Jake: Being able to connect with a wide variety of people has been the biggest pay off. Due to how many different cultures, people, and mindsets TGS exposes you to, it’s easy to open your mind up and find common ground on almost any subject.