CO:Member Spotlight: Brantley English and Learning From Others

It’s no question that we live in an age where technology is changing and growing every day. It’s hard to keep up with technology’s constant evolution as a consumer, but what about those whose jobs depend on it? 

Fields like computer science or software development are built upon the ever-changing nature of technology, but how do these professionals keep up? This is a reality Brantley English, code architect at Sodium Halogen and this week’s CO:member Spotlight, is all too familiar with. 

Sodium Halogen is an interactive design company based in Jackson, Tennessee that focuses on software design, user-experience design, branding, and much more. As their code architect, English spends most of his time with website and mobile application creation, so he has had to learn how to combat being left behind in the dramatic technological growth curve. 

“I've had a lot of help, and one of my coworkers, Chance, has taught me a lot of what I do now,” says English. “He's always wanting to try new stuff, so I think that's been very beneficial for me to be able to pick up on new stuff and to learn new things from him.”

He says he has seen how these influences have empowered him to take more risks in discovering new and exciting things.

“I think that is something really valuable that I've learned,” English says. “If it doesn't work, you just keep going and try something else.”

Another piece of advice he wants to share is to never be afraid of asking questions. He says there’s always new things for him to learn, and he wants to encourage students to take advantage of asking questions and staying curious. 

As a senior in college and interning at Sodium Halogen, he had little experience with website creation, but as he enters his second year working full-time for the same company, he has seen how he has adapted and grown from his work environment and from his coworkers.

“Most of what I do now are things I’ve learned from work,” he says. 

Being based out of theCO has also proven beneficial for him as he says it’s always interesting to see the variety of jobs and talents that walk through the doors every day, and he says it has helped him implement the value of networking in his everyday life because he has the opportunity to surround himself with so many dedicated members.  

Whether it’s watching members build furniture in the Makerspace, gaining hands-on knowledge in the Driving Innovation busses, or interacting with fellow CO:members in the office space, English has understood the value of an ever-changing environment and has learned that the best way to thrive in it is to surround yourself with people, like the vast variety of CO:members, who constantly challenge you.