Jamaican software architect and device expert, Joel Dean, has officially joined the WordPress company as a software engineer at Automattic, owner of the popular WordPress blogging platform with more than 135 million active websites around the world that reaches over 1 billion users every month.
“I am really excited to be a part of the team that helps to power 34 percent of the whole Internet,” said Dean. “It’s really amazing how technology has bridged the gaps of talent and opportunities, where I am able to make such a huge impact on the world working remotely from Jamaica. Distributed work is really the future and I am grateful that I am able to be a part of this movement so I can share all I am learning with my fellow Jamaicans.”
Dean graduated from Northern Caribbean University and the May Pen High and Preparatory Schools. He left school with a high school diploma and a resolve to follow his dreams. Despite multiple challenges, Dean persevered and triumphed. He told his story during an interview on the Jamaican talk show “Profile” that was popularized by the late Ian Boyne.
The 26-year-old Dean has more than 10 years of experience designing applications for computers, iPhone and Android operating systems. He’s built multiple tech startups, led Android development efforts, and managed two of the world’s largest data collection platforms.
The software engineer has worked in some of the most remote areas around the globe. Dean has been deployed to over 50 countries on projects that reach over 1.5 million users in 40 languages.
The software engineer is an active member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers. The organization gathers the best and brightest minds to solve the world’s most pressing and difficult problems. Dean is the lead organizer for the Google Developers Group Kingston.
Dean has a passion for youth development and mentors young men and women that are interested in pursuing a career in space technology. He launched his “Code for Cause” initiative in which he speaks at schools within Central Jamaica, addressing how when used to its full potential, technology can transform possibilities and potential for Jamaica, its youth, and the future.
WordPress is a content management system, a platform that individuals can use to build a website in about five minutes and maintain it without any specialized knowledge of coding. The software enables people to customize almost every aspect of their website. WordPress began as a simple blogging platform and has grown into a powerful and flexible tool for creating almost any type of website.
