Developer Spotlight: From College Grad to OpenEdge Pro —How This 25-Year-Old Developer is Advancing His Skills

Discovering Development—From New York to Vegas

Nathaniel, a 25-year-old programmer analyst with FDM4, began his path to software with a major in computer science at Dutchess Community College in New York. “I first attended a school majoring in computer science at Dutchess Community College, and then I transferred to get my bachelor’s at SUNY New Paltz. I ended up moving to Vegas about 2 1/2 years ago and I was hired at FDM4, a premier Progress partner specializing in integrated ERP, product decoration, warehouse management, e-commerce, and CRM software for the apparel and hardgoods industries.”

Life as an OpenEdge Developer

He began coding in Progress OpenEdge ABL in January 2023—almost two years ago—making this his first professional programming role. “This was my first programming job, so I really didn’t have any experience before this job.”

When asked about his day-to-day tasks, he said, “Throughout the day, my team lead assigns me tickets. They could be bug fixes, investigations to find bugs, and projects.”

When asked about training, he said that training takes about three weeks at FDM4 and after that, more hands-on experience helped fill in the remaining gaps. After about six months, he was quite confident using the Progress OpenEdge solution.

Programming Languages—And What Sets OpenEdge Apart

Before FDM4, Nathaniel’s programming exposure was academic: “Since this was my first job, I didn’t have experience programming professionally in other languages before joining FDM4.”

While in school, Nathaniel used HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, and PHP. Comparing those languages to Progress OpenEdge, Nathaniel explains: “And comparing those to Progress is definitely quite different, since Progress is a business language, but I’d definitely say the foundational skills I gained with these languages did help me.”

When asked what he likes about OpenEdge, Nathaniel answers, “Definitely the readability and syntax. I’d say it’s very close to English, so it’s easy to read and usually when going through the code, I don’t have to spend so long trying to understand what’s going on.

And second, accessing the database. Since it’s all built into the language, I do find it very easy to access.

Third, I’d say longevity and compatibility. I’ve been involved in upgrading FDM4’s customers who are running older versions of FDM4, and their code continues to work seamlessly, and they are simply upgrading to take advantage of new features.”

Nathaniel summarizes what makes OpenEdge unique: “I’d say long-term stability. OpenEdge continues to keep up with all the modern applications like VS Code.”

Advice for Aspiring Developers

Nathaniel sees programming as flexible and full of opportunity: “It’s a very flexible industry right now. Technology is evolving in all areas of business and daily life. And I’d really say if anybody [wants to] go into programming, the opportunities are endless.”

He addresses those considering OpenEdge: “Once you get into the language, it’s definitely a good thing to learn and there are a lot of companies looking for Progress talent.”

On Certification and Learning

Nathaniel is receptive to further training. When asked about the Progress OpenEdge Developer Certification program, he said, “I think that would actually be great. FDM4 continues to invest in Progress training, and I’d definitely be open to it, I am always interested in learning new thing.”

FDM4: Driving Innovation in Apparel Technology

Nathaniel is the second developer from FDM4 we’ve featured in our Developer Spotlight series—following Joshua’s story. This highlights how FDM4 is investing in its developer community, fostering fresh talent and staying at the forefront of technology and innovation for the apparel industry. Their commitment to growth shows that they remain leaders in delivering modern, scalable solutions powered by Progress OpenEdge.

Interested in starting a journey like Nathaniel? Become an OpenEdge developer today!