Our guiding force at Sparq is our mission: to create high-quality technology jobs in Middle America cities where talent is often overlooked. Our Mission in Action showcases Sparq colleagues who represent how this mission impacts individuals and the communities in which we operate.
During the summer before his freshman year at Augusta University, Zach Smith decided to build a computer. He had always seen them as “magic boxes” and had no idea how they worked or why they worked – they just did. At the time, he was inspired by a YouTuber who was doing a playthrough of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with “mods.” Mods are community creations for games that can drastically alter the gameplay and visual experience. Downloading and attaching these mods to the game was relatively easy, but you needed a strong PC to run it smoothly. He recalls, “I remember watching him play and really wanted to play the game like he was playing it.” Zach had always been tech savvy, but it wasn’t until then that he really started to develop a passion for technology.
Charting his course
As an IT major, Information to Programming was a required course for Zach. He told his professor about his love for building PCs, but that he had doubts about whether or not he wanted to pursue it as a career. At the time, he had fears that the field was becoming saturated, and he didn’t really want to leave his hometown of Augusta. His professor convinced him that with his talent and abilities, it was the right path for him, so Zach decided to stick with it.
Discovering Sparq
Throughout his college years, Zach had heard about Sparq and that it had been touted as one of the best places to work in Augusta. Zach shared, “I’d heard it had a rich, laid-back culture, great people and competitive benefits. It was on my radar from then on.” He decided to apply for an internship and was offered a role as a Junior Associate (JA). Starting out on a team for one of Sparq’s largest clients with no professional experience in technology was intimidating at first. “When I came in, I was very green. As time went on, though, I kept learning more and more and I became more comfortable with my role on the team and the team itself.” It didn’t take long for Zach to prove himself to his colleagues. After starting as a JA in June 2018, he was offered a full-time position in December 2018.
Growing his career
Since starting at Sparq, Zach has had the chance to work with different tech stacks and industries. He quickly became the go-to SME for an enterprise client’s native ads initiative, and is now working on a project for an innovative SaaS client. His role at Sparq has truly come full circle as also manages an intern now. Zach says, “It’s nice to be able to share my insight with someone who’s eager to grow in their career at Sparq, just like I am.”
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