Tom P

It has been a little while since we last caught up with Tom, so we thought it was about time for another introduction.

Tom is part of the software development team behind PalletOnline, working on the websites and applications that help turn business requirements into things people can actually use.

Since his last Meet the Team, his role has moved further into full-stack development, but some things have remained reassuringly unchanged: he still prefers getting on with the job over sitting in meetings, his Spotify remains unpredictable, and ATM is still apparently the worst film ever made.

Here’s what he had to say.

For anyone who does not really know what a front-end developer does, how would you explain your role across PalletOnline and Browns?

I think I have actually moved into more of a full-stack role since the original Q&A.

Essentially, our team takes business requirements and builds websites and applications that solve them using a modern tech stack.

That means taking an idea or something the business needs to achieve and working out how we can turn it into something functional behind the scenes and straightforward for people to use.

Basically: someone asks for a thing, and the development team has to work out how to make the thing actually work.

Last time, you said you liked working in a smaller development. Is that still the same?

Definitely.

I really do not like large meetings, so working in a small, fast-paced team is perfect for me. It means we can move quickly and spend more time actually getting things done.

I would much rather get on with the job than sit through a meeting that could have been an email.

Somewhere, a completely unnecessary 60-minute Teams invite just felt personally attacked.

Are your go-to ways to switch off still the same, or has anything new taken over?

Nothing else has really taken over.

I did enjoy The Chase Around The World recently, but sadly that has finished now.

So for the most part, the old favourites are still going strong.

You once described your Spotify playlists as a mixture of “pure bangers and absolute trash”. What has been getting played most recently?

I tend to start with my Spotify Daily Mixes or Discover Weekly and then disappear down the artist and song radio rabbit hole from there.

Recently, The Menzingers and The View have both had a fair bit of airtime.

There is not really a strict system to it. One song leads to another, which leads to another artist, and suddenly Spotify has decided what I am listening to for the next hour.

“Pure bangers and absolute trash” remains a beautifully broad music policy.

You mentioned travelling quite a bit in your last blog. Where have you been since, and which trip has been your favourite?

I have been on a few holidays this year, although I cannot really pick out one particular highlight since the last Q&A.

I am already looking forward to planning some trips for next year, though.

Travel is still something I really enjoy, so there will hopefully be plenty more places added to the list.

You were not a fan of the film ATM. Have you watched anything since that has been just as bad, or anything that was worth recommending?

Nothing will ever be as bad as ATM.

It is genuinely the worst thing I have ever seen, so thankfully nothing has managed to beat it yet.

For something I would actually recommend, I have just finished watching From and I am now waiting for the next season.

Time has passed. People have changed. Tom’s review of ATM has not.

What is something you have got really into recently that people at work might not know about?

History podcasts.

I do not really know when, why or how it happened, but apparently that is something I am into now.

There was no grand plan behind it. It just happened.

When you have a completely free day with nothing planned, how are you most likely to spend it?

I am not really sure, because I do not tend to plan my days like that.

I usually just decide what I feel like doing in the moment and go from there.

Sometimes having absolutely no plan is the best plan.

An itinerary consisting entirely of “see what happens”. Difficult to argue with.

Is there anything you would like to do more of over the next year?

Definitely more travelling.

I do not think there is much better than getting out, seeing different places and enjoying more of the world.

So hopefully next year includes plenty more trips.

If you had to swap jobs with someone for a week, what job would you choose, and how well do you think you would do?

I would probably choose to be a rancher or farmer somewhere out in the American or Canadian wilderness.

I would most likely be absolutely diabolical at the actual job, but the scenery would make up for it.

So perhaps not a particularly successful career change, but definitely a nice place to fail at it.

No farming experience. Questionable practical ability. Excellent views. We can see the appeal.

It has been good catching up with Tom and finding out what has — and perhaps more importantly, has not — changed since his first Meet the Team.

From building websites and applications across PalletOnline and Browns to disappearing down Spotify rabbit holes, listening to history podcasts and planning where to travel next, there is plenty keeping him occupied.

And should anyone ever need a recommendation for a film not to watch, apparently Tom has that covered too.