Our Swipers are the heartbeat of our company, and we use every opportunity to celebrate them. This month, Jacques Fourie (aka Guns) celebrated his fourth year at Swipe iX, and what better way to commemorate this momentous occasion than with an employee spotlight interview? Grab a drink, make yourself comfortable, and get to know this inspiring Swiper!

How Did You Find Your Way To Front-End Development?

I’ve been privileged enough to work in various roles over the span of my career, learning valuable skills along the way. In my previous life I was an ActionScript developer and built a wide variety of games and mobile apps using Flash. However, with the World Wide Web abandoning Flash, I quickly transitioned into the HTML5/CSS/JavaScript world and never looked back.

What Motivates Or Inspires You Careerwise?

In my line of work, every project presents a new challenge, which keeps me on my toes, as no two days are the same. Due to the ever-changing nature of the industry, and the constant evolution of tools and languages, choosing a career in the development field ultimately means choosing to be a lifelong student. This dynamic field pushes you to continuously learn and grow, which inspires me to be the best dev I can be. 

What Does #SwipeFam Mean To You?

It’s a culture of care. Over the past few years I’ve gotten really close to the team and can vouch from personal experience that we are a team that uplifts, respects and just generally cares about each other. The Swipe family definitely takes these words from Maya Angelou to heart: “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

Fun Facts About Jacques

You Can Call Me Geppetto

When I’m not busy with work or hitting the gym, you would most probably find me in my garage sanding, carving or welding the night away. I discovered my passion for carpentry and welding a while back, and have even made some nifty laptop stands for my fellow Swipers!

Nickname Origins

Believe it or not, my nickname is actually the result of a language barrier glitch. Many moons ago, our MD Leo Redelinghuys sent a message on Slack asking for a “guns” (favour). Our English speaking Swipers thought she was teasing me about my gym habits by referring to me as Guns, and after that the nickname just stuck.

This Or That

Happy Swipeaversary, Guns! Thank you for your exceptional contributions and being an extraordinary Swiper. We look forward to celebrating many more Swipeaversaries with you.