Nick Dirschel

Full stack developer with expertise in Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, and modern web technologies. Lead Developer at Parsons Corporation.

Professional Overview

I’m a passionate full stack developer with a unique journey that combines computer engineering education with hands-on experience across transportation technology, content management, and web application development. My career has given me a broad perspective on how technology can solve real-world problems, from managing university transit systems to building secure communications platforms.

Currently serving as Lead Developer at Parsons Corporation, I focus on creating robust, maintainable solutions using modern web technologies. My approach emphasizes clean code, user-centered design, and collaborative development practices.

What Drives Me

Problem-Solving First: Whether I’m debugging a complex Rails application or designing a 3D-printed solution for a household problem, I love the process of understanding challenges and crafting elegant solutions.

Continuous Learning: Technology evolves rapidly, and I embrace that change. From my early days with embedded systems to current work with React and Node.js, I’m always expanding my toolkit.

Quality Over Speed: I believe in building things right the first time. Clean, well-documented code saves time and frustration down the road, both for future maintainers and users.

Technical Journey

My programming journey began during my Computer Engineering studies at UMass Amherst, where I dove into embedded systems and software design. This foundation gave me a deep appreciation for both hardware constraints and software possibilities.

Key Experiences:

Ruby on Rails Expert: Discovered Rails during my time at UMass Transit IT and fell in love with the framework’s emphasis on convention over configuration. Built multiple production applications and learned the importance of maintainable code.

Modern JavaScript Expertise: Extensive experience with modern JavaScript principles and TypeScript, from complex frontend applications to full-stack development. Comfortable with contemporary frameworks like React and Vue.js as well as advanced language features.

Multi-Language Adaptability: Successfully transitioned between PHP content management systems, Python web applications, and Node.js APIs, demonstrating the ability to pick up new technologies quickly.

Beyond the Keyboard

When I step away from coding, you’ll find me embracing the outdoors and hands-on projects:

Outdoor Adventures: Disc golf courses, kayaking rivers, and climbing routes provide the perfect mental reset. These activities teach patience, strategy, and problem-solving – skills that translate well to development work.

3D Printing & Design: My maker space hobby combines creativity with engineering. Using FreeCAD to solve everyday problems reinforces my approach to software: understand the problem, design a solution, iterate based on feedback.

Automotive Enthusiasm: Cars represent the intersection of mechanical engineering, electronics, and increasingly, software. Working on vehicles helps me appreciate how different systems integrate to create a cohesive experience.

My cat Mouse supervises all these activities and provides excellent rubber duck- cat?- debugging assistance.

Professional Values

Collaboration Over Competition: The best solutions come from diverse perspectives working together. I prefer environments where knowledge sharing and mutual support are the norm.

Work-Life Integration: Sustainable careers require balance. I bring my best work when I have time for outdoor adventures, creative projects, and the relationships that matter most.

Mentorship & Growth: Whether I’m learning from senior developers or helping junior colleagues, I believe in the power of shared knowledge and continuous improvement.

What’s Next

I’m excited about opportunities that combine my technical skills with meaningful impact. Ideal roles involve:

  • Modern Web Technologies: Ruby on Rails, JavaScript frameworks, and emerging tools
  • Collaborative Teams: Where code reviews and pair programming are standard practice
  • Real-World Impact: Building applications that solve genuine problems for real users
  • Growth-Oriented Culture: Companies that invest in their people’s professional development

The Personal Side

  • Education: BS Computer Engineering, UMass Amherst
  • Location: Massachusetts, USA
  • Interests: Disc golf, kayaking, rock climbing, 3D printing, automotive projects
  • Fun Fact: My cat Mouse has attended more virtual meetings than most hummingbirds

Ready to learn more about how we might work together? Let’s connect!