Ed. note: This post is a part of our continuing blog series featuring our employees. Here, we hear from our very own Adam Barker – a senior designer who builds interesting things from scratch. Here, he tells you more about some of his interesting projects, and why he’s so excited to be at LinkedIn.

Not everyone sees a blank canvas in a foam latte or a pile of car parts.

But I guess that’s what makes me unique; I love a good challenge. I’m a designer at heart, but I enjoy trying new things and learning quickly.

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That’s why working here at LinkedIn has been such a great experience. I joined LinkedIn because I had a lot of respect for the products, and I wanted to be a part of a medium-size company that was about to become much larger.

In the past year-and-a-half, I’ve probably changed desks within the Design team about six times. Currently, I design software products, such as the new LinkedIn Polls analytics tool that debuted in December.

But what’s really great about working here is that LinkedIn has allowed me to stoke my creative interests both inside and outside of work.

Last year, I joined a team competing for the “X Prize” challenge to design a 100 mile per gallon commuter car. My manager was incredibly supportive and allowed me to take time off on short notice– he understood that this was an exciting opportunity that couldn’t be missed. I flew to Seattle and worked for 10 days straight to help a team of volunteers build a 100 mpg car from scratch. The Wikispeed team car received 10th place out of 150 teams!

Currently, I’m spending my weekends working on a project for the “24 Hours of Lemons” endurance race for $500 cars. My Lemons team has taken a 1989 BMW 325i sedan (purchased for $400) and are converting it into a vehicle that resembles the ambulance in “Ghostbusters.” Our first race is a little over a month away, and I’m pretty excited about it.

Another fun project I’m tinkering with right now is “latte art,” where I pour milk through a shot of espresso to create shapes, like trees and flowers. I bought an espresso machine on eBay and restored it to perfect this art at home. Since LinkedIn provides free food and beverages to employees, including use of our on-site espresso machines, I can test out my creations on my colleagues here.

LinkedIn has also encouraged me to pursue my passions on the job. Recently, I’ve been working as a staff photographer for some of our on-site events. I’ve also submitted a couple projects for LinkedIn’s monthly “Hackday” competitions. I even won one competition last year, for my idea for a URL shortener. Very cool.

So what’s next? Well, I’m thinking of a new project for this summer …. Any ideas?

If you liked this post, “you may like” Careers at LinkedIn

comments

1. Jeffrey Zelaya April 13th, 2011

   It’s so refreshing and interesting to see the creativity that LinkedIn employees have. Thanks for being so transparent.

2. Jonathan Handler April 13th, 2011

   @Editor’s note: I do not mind a little of the material about employees. However, IIRC, this is two in a row. I am beginning to wonder how narcissistic and defensive the people at LinkedIn are becoming that this is happening. If these feelings were stronger, I would say that I am beginning to smell the beginnings of a cult (which I suspect Google has become, like Microsoft and IBM and others before).

   I liked LinkedIn better in 2010 before Open Groups and other changes since then that seem designed to try to aggressively monetize the site in anticipation of the IPO.

3. Jonathan Handler April 13th, 2011

   @Editor’s Note: I forgot to add Apple to the list of companies that sound like cults to me :-)

4. Peter Childress April 14th, 2011

   What would be *really* cool, Adam, is if you could turn that old BMW into a lemon-powered electric vehicle for the “24 Hours of Lemons” endurance race. I wonder how many lemons with zinc and copper electrodes it would take to generate enough electricity to make it roll at even a slow speed? After all, it’s a race for endurance, not speed.

   -Pete

5. Web Designer April 18th, 2011

   You must have a big creative to transform something old and that you probably don´t use any more in something new and usefull

6. Muhammad Ehtisham May 1st, 2011

   Wonderful working… really inspirational … I am also customizing my 91 suzuki sierra these days… Wish u best of luck and keep it up