In the world of comic books, origin stories inform the reader of the identity and motivations of heroes and villains (thankfully, we only have the former here). Like Spider-Man or Captain America, your origin story is important as it defines who you are today. Learn about the experiences, people, and influences that shaped Concord's Jake Martens by reading below!
I’m from Milton, MA, a suburb just south of Boston.
Around the holidays, Home Alone 2 is on constant repeat in my family. The first viewing usually starts around 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and then it just seems to play as background noise through Christmas Day. Somehow, it gets funnier every year.
It’s hard to choose just one person when there have been so many teachers, bosses, coworkers, and friends who have all had different impacts on me. For now, I will mention my high school cello teacher’s influence. I worked with two teachers prior to starting with him, and he completely changed the way I approached learning and practicing. I don’t play the cello nearly as intensely now as I used to, but he instilled a sense of the discipline necessary for learning anything that I’ve carried to areas far beyond the realm of classical music.
For the past few summers, I’ve taken a day off work to visit Block Island, which is an hour-long ferry ride from the coast of Rhode Island. It’s pretty small, so you can rent a bike and cover the whole island in just a day—there are cliffs, beaches, and seals. A few years ago, I had a chance to stay overnight and see a bioluminescent bay.
During a summer in college, I lived alone in Illinois for an internship. I spent a lot of time driving between Illinois and Minnesota that summer and grew a lot professionally. I’m left with a deep appreciation for Python scripting and the city of Chicago.
I love littleneck clams in a white wine and garlic sauce. There’s nothing better than that with some crunchy bread for dipping.
I started at Concord through the engineering training program in 2022 after graduating from college. Since I was a math major, the program was an opportunity to refine and expand upon the skills I had learned in the computer science classes I took. It was a great way to start my career, and I met some excellent coworkers and engineers in my cohort. Fast forward to now, I’ve worked with several clients across various industries doing full-stack development work.
At the moment, climbing! I took a bouldering class a few years back and have managed to stick with it since then. I’m far from an expert and still have a slight fear of heights, but it’s the one thing I enjoy most to stay active.
I helped a coworker (and now friend) paint a room in his new condo. I had never picked up a paintbrush in my life, but the room is now a delightful, streak-free shade of matcha green.
It really is all about the simple things. Reading outside on a sunny day is life's greatest pleasure.
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