Jake Sutter
This month, the spotlight shines on Jake Sutter, an app developer in our service management team. He was always interested in technology, from programming math equations on a TI-83 to developing essential applications in OTDI. He started as a student employee and is still growing his career and his knowledge with Ohio State. Outside of work, he’s passionate about video games, photography and music. If you see his OOO reply, he might be jet-setting off to Japan or just picking up some sushi around town.
Q: What is your role at the university? I am an Apps Development Specialist working with the IT Service Management (ITSM) Tool Development Team.
Q: How long have you worked at Ohio State? I have worked at this position for a little less than three years, but I started as a student employee of this position four years ago. Prior to that, I worked in the dorms when I started as a student at Ohio State in Fall of 2018.
Q: Have you worked on any large projects since you’ve been here? I built the Technology and Information Exception Request (TIER) item in ServiceNow that tracks security exceptions.
Q: What are you currently working on? I’m working on new versions of the Workday Access Request and Workstation Request items.
Q: What do you like best about your job? My coworkers are always very nice and helpful when I need it.
Q: Did you always know this is what you wanted to do as a career? I’ve always been interested in technology. I first started programming in middle school when I automated the math formulas I was learning onto my TI-83 calculator. Since then, I’ve just been learning more and am now majoring in Computer Science and Engineering with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence.
Q. How did your career path bring you to work for us? I went to a sort of vocational school for web development during my last two years in high school. I was able to get a full stack web developer certification and eventually saw and applied for a student web developer job posting here in 2019.
Q. Of what are you most proud? Not what I’m most proud of, but people seemed to like this TikTok I made of me playing chess.
Q: What was your very first job? My very first job was working as a busboy (cleaning up tables) at a Cracker Barrel in Arizona when I was 16.
Q: Where did you go to college? I’m still attending college here at Ohio State and planning to graduate this Spring finally after almost 6 years (since I had to go part time once I went full-time working).
Q: Where are you from originally? I grew up in Berea, Ohio, just a little ways out from Cleveland. However, my parents got tired of the weather and we moved to Phoenix, Arizona, while I was in high school, so I graduated from there.
Q: What is your favorite place to visit? I don’t like to travel too much, but I did enjoy visiting St. Louis a few years ago. I also just returned from a trip to Italy with my family and got some nice pictures.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? I’d like to visit Japan. I think almost every part of the country is extremely photogenic.
Q: Can you tell us about your family? My parents are living in Arizona and loving it (in comparison to Ohio, though they still love Ohio State). I also have an older sister who’s been living in Seattle recently, but will actually be traveling around Europe in the next few months. And finally, I have a timid little orange kitty named Maka that keeps me company in my apartment.
Q. What do you do for fun outside of work? Do you have any hobbies? I pick up new hobbies basically every other month, but a more permanent one is that I’ve played video games basically my whole life. I’ve played on most of the consoles starting with the GameCube but am mostly a PC guy now.
I’m also into photography. I recently purchased my first “real” camera – The Pentax K-70 DSLR. I’ve always been into photography since I got my first smartphone, but I took a photography class to fulfill a GE Arts credit and have now been taking it more seriously.
I also like listening to music and have been trying to get into making my own, but I sometimes put too much on my plate.
Q: What is something most people might be surprised to know about you? I used to be the manager of the OSU Rocket League esports team up until this semester (I quit to make time for more classes so I can graduate this Spring). I’m also in the top 0.2% of the player base, so I would’ve tried out to be on the team myself, but you have to be a full-time student to do that.
Q: Favorite place to eat in Columbus? I used to go to Sushi Factory a lot. I also enjoyed Hot Chicken Takeover whenever I was near one.
Q: Best concert you’ve ever been to? I’ve only been to a handful of concerts, but I most enjoyed the one I went to a couple months ago featuring my favorite artist Rav that he called The Short King Tour. It was held at Skully’s Music Diner, and I got some cool pictures there.
Q: Favorite quote?
“One step forward
Two steps back
Don’t be sad
It’s just the way we dance”
- Rav, “To My Future Self”
Q: Do you have a favorite book or movie? I don’t have a favorite, but I have been going to the Gateway Film Center right next to campus and using their all-you-can-watch movie pass to see a bunch of new and old movies that I otherwise wouldn’t have. I even made a Letterboxd account to keep track, but some that I’ve especially liked are “Final Cut,” “Call Me by Your Name,” and “Shortcomings.”
Q: It’s 9 p.m. on a Saturday. What are you doing? Watching a movie, playing video games, or trying to make something artistic.