In honor of International programmers’ Day on January 7th, 2018, Operation Spark would like to look back at some of the fantastic graduates from our immersion program. For the month leading up to the date we’ll be releasing a short feature of our grads, one per day. Read on for the first installment of 30 Days of Devs!
Developer at New Orleans based GoDo.io
Operation Spark Graduate 11/2016
How did you get into software?
I did it as a hobby, and learned how to write scripts to automatically organize and name files at my old desk job, giving me more time to slack off and read about software.
Tell us about your current gig.
I am a developer at GoDo.io, which provides event planning and a booking platform via SaaS. I am responsible for directing the front-end team for the web platform, as well as deciding on UI/UX decisions based off feedback from our beta users. We are in the process of rolling out the final iteration of our product, which involves onboarding new customers and improving the usability of our software. On the technical side, we are refactoring our front-end for optimization and adjusting our back-end to be able to scale with the influx of new users.
What was your first job in software?
My first job was a mobile developer at Fraytr, working on a greenfield project with react-native and node.js. I was pretty nervous at first, but everyone really supported each other and made me feel part of the team.
What do you do outside of coding?
I like playing music and collecting cool instruments. I also like cooking, but only because I like eating, really. I'd like to spend more time outside, and if I could, I'd probably go on every roller coaster in the world.
What is your favorite coding language, and why?
Right now I really like Clojure. It is a functional lisp that was a logical step from the functional javascript I learned at Operation Spark. I use it for personal projects and enjoy its unique advantages and different perspective on how software should be built. I don't get to use it at work yet, but I hope to one day!
How has software changed your life?
Software has given me career opportunities that improve my overall well-being. More importantly, it's allowed me to help others more easily and contribute to the ripple effect of improving our community as a whole.
What kind of cat would you be, and why?
I would be a Russian Blue because they are so cool and good looking and can get away with anything!
What would you tell aspiring software engineers?
There is a lot of information out there, and there is always something good to take away from anything you read. There are times to double down on what you believe is right, but you should always be open to different ideas or perspectives. As a student, I was hopeful for the day where I would master everything, but I now I realize that being a student never ends.
