Interview with one of Codementor‘s finest mentors on insider coding tricks and tips.
Popular mentor on Codementor, self taught web developer Arlo Carreon currently works at Amazon.com. Here’s an insight on why he’s ahead of the curve in web developing, and how to be a coding “sensei-tion”.
_ Why do you enjoy mentoring? _
I love giving people that “aha!” moment. The feeling of understanding is unparalleled.
_ Could you tell us a bit about yourself professionally and what excites you in life? _
I have a natural curiosity that has proven useful in the field. In the past, I did web development in Real Estate, Healthcare, Travel, Automotive and Retail industries and have tasted both startup and corporate cultures.
Nothing excites me more [professionally] than high traffic websites and startup cultures.
So when I’m not with my wife and kids I am tinkering with Node.js, grunt or the latest open source technology released by Facebook.
_ What’s your proudest achievement so far? _
Proudest professional achievements has included an MS degree, contributions to open source projects and the incredible feedback from my podcast listeners (dev1.tv), but my personal highlight is passing a round of 11 interviews (across 3 months) and accepting an offer at Amazon.com.
_ What’s your favorite programming language and why? _
Javascript: I am drawn to scripting languages. I enjoy their loose typing, optional params and object/array literals. I love lambda functions and for event driven UI javascript is a perfect fit of a language.
I also have a slight obsession with creating javascript namespaces and site wide utilities.I am a huge fan of Nicolas Zakas and his concept of “Building Scalable Javascript Applications”.
Click to learn Javascript on Codementor
_ One latest coding trick/tip? _
Bitmasks! I am sure we brushed over it in computer science, but there is nothing like actually solving a hairy problem with proper bitmasking and bitwise operators. I recently used bitmasks to handle complex user permissions throughout an application platform.
Ask Arlo about Bitmasks on Codementor
_ On picking best tool for the job? _
You want something that is well supported and has a decent community that can help answer questions.
I’ve learned that you can quickly find many tools that will fit your immediate need. However, learning the differences between your options can help you visualize your limitations in the future and might help steer your decision.
_ Advice for someone learning to code? _
Test your code often and in small chucks. If possible, write functions/classes that do only one thing and do it well.
Want to know more about Arlo? Book an 1-on-1 session!
