I’m Martin Hertz, and this is my personal blog. My motivation is to explore and expand ideas through writing.
Feedback is welcome via Bluesky: @computersandpeople.com.
If you want to work with me, please check out my “Job faq.” It also provides more professional details.
My early years
When I was in elementary school, my dad was a teacher. For extra income, he worked part-time at a local computer store. A perk of this job was bringing home "loaner" machines, first an Apple IIe and then a Macintosh. I was fascinated by computers and the idea that you could tell them what to do through programming.
As much as I was interested in programming at a young age, I hesitated to commit to it in college. I worried I’d miss out on the opportunity to explore other subjects I was curious about, like literature and philosophy. Luckily, I found a liberal arts college where I could major in computer science and minor in English and Film.
My professional years
For the first 9 years of my career, I worked for what I now consider “legacy” organizations: big banks, an insurance company, and a now-defunct management consulting firm. I worked with some great people and learned a lot. However, I was burnt out on programming. I couldn’t shake feeling like a cog in a bigger machine. Another anonymous actor in an assembly line process. So, I started planning a significant career change.
To pay the bills while applying to law schools, I took a 6-month contracting gig at GATX. To my immense surprise, I loved it. Although the company was relatively large and over 100 years old, the technology department was undergoing a reboot. A new CIO had been hired to bring in new approaches (agile) after years of significant failures. I was a member of a small, self-directed development team delivering tangible value to real users. My manager was supportive and invested in my growth. I had finally found fulfillment in software development. As a result, I declined my law school acceptances.
A few years later, I moved to Minnesota and started at Jamf. At the time, the engineering department at Jamf struggled to keep up with explosive sales. Well-intentioned individuals were working extremely hard, but it wasn’t enough. Priorities changed by the minute and were often conflicting. Communication was fractured, if it happened at all. After sharing my ideas on how we could improve how we worked, I was promoted to manager. The change was unexpected, but I relished the opportunity to help instill a highly successful, team-focused organization.
It took a while, but I found my home: helping smaller organizations grow or evolve.
Why “Computers and People”?
During my freshman year of college, the new student directory listed my interests as “computers and people.” My mom had submitted my photo and selected those interests without my knowledge. When I found out, I was mortified. Who lists their interest as “people?” Someone who spends too much time with computers. Luckily, I was able to overcome this brutal social setback.
Ironically, as an engineering leader, most of my professional focus these days is on people rather than directly on technology. The details of the technology are essential, but just as important is how the humans using that technology are making decisions, collaborating, etc.
