Chris Wiegman Chris Wiegman

About Chris Wiegman

Hello, I’m Chris Wiegman. It’s good to meet you.

Who am I?

I am a software engineering manager

I currently manage the team building Faust.js for WP Engine, a role I’ve held since December 2021. I moved into management after a decade as a software engineer in order to better utilize my experience in teaching, mentoring and leading software projects and more gained over the past 20+ years in a host of industries and careers.

I am a software engineer

I’ve built WordPress plugins, websites, development environments, Chrome extensions and more as a software engineer for numerous organizations.

While I may no longer write code for my day job, writing code is still one of my favorite hobbies. I’ve built a career working with WordPress and these days I still do some in WordPress directly and much more in languages like GoLang where I can build apps to help developers work smarter.

I am a teacher

I’m a teacher by heart. I’ve taught as faculty at universities in 2 different disciplines, aviation and computer science. I’ve mentored, spoken and try to use this blog to teach others what I can.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management and a Master of Science degree in Computer science, both from Southern Illinois University Carbondale where I also first learned how much I enjoy teaching. Since graduate school I taught as adjunct faculty in computer science at St. Edward’s University and have spoken at dozens of events in an effort to share what I’ve learned with others. It’s a passion I hope to continue for many years.

I am a pilot, a writer and more

Before I switched to a career in tech and went to graduate school I was a pilot flying business jets and for a small airline where I served both as a captain and a training captain helping new pilots onboard to the company.

Throughout my adult life I’ve paid my bills with sales, teaching, code, mentoring, occasional writing and, for a little while, with a trumpet. You might say I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up but, with as many endeavors as I’ve been fortunate to be successful in, I like to think it’s more that I never want to stop learning and I’m so very grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to do so.

What I believe in

My life and my work are very much guided by what I believe, not in a religious sense but in what it is I stand for and have made a hallmark of my work.

I’ve never been one to chase paychecks as my reason for work. In fact, working in WordPress it is safe to say my paychecks have been relatively low compared to what many people think of when they think of software engineers. I’ve never wanted to be a business owner or entrepreneur and sold my only company when it grew to a point where it would’ve been my “job.” I’ve never searched for fame either, preferring to share what I’ve learned in an effort to help others showcase who they are and what they’ve done.

What I do believe in is people and what they’re capable of. I believe everyone has a voice and that voice deserves the chance to develop and be heard.

I believe that, as a professional, I have a responsibility to the community I serve, whether locally or beyond, and how I handle that responsibility is the highest indicator of success.

I believe my responsibility to my community is a responsibility to all people and their rights as humans. As such I believe privacy and sustainability aren’t just buzzwords but are my duties to practice and implement in all I build and share.

Finally, I believe in the humanity and dignity of all people and that belief must be shared by all those who I work with.

My most popular projects

A few of the more popular projects I’ve been involved with over the years include:

What I’m working on today

  • Leading the engineering efforts for the team building Faust.js at WP Engine
  • In the process of purchasing a condo in Chicago
  • Trying to find a community I can be a real part of again
  • Playing with JetBrains’ IDEs (again) to see if I want to switch back
  • Re-learning how much I enjoy life without alcohol

Last updated 1 September, 2023

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