Rick Mottola

Welcome!

I'm Rick Mottola, a software developer based out of Boise, Idaho. I studied Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder for a year, and then attended an intense, fast-paced coding bootcamp. While there, I honed my analytical skills and developed advanced knowledge in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I reinforced and applied those skills by building several projects which utilized various different web technologies (check them out below!).

My first professional role was at a startup where we were building a hybrid web application targeting individuals at risk for diabetes. Our platform aimed to empower these individuals to reach and maintain a healthy lifestyle via health education, gamified activities, and personlized health coaching. The tech stack consisted of Node.js, React, MongoDB, and Redis.

At my next role with Mad Mobile, I collected large datasets from the public and private APIs of large brick and mortar stores. I would then transform the data to meet specific contracts that our UI consumed from, and assist in the building of the UI components. The vision at Mad Mobile was to redefine and modernize in-store shopping by allowing retail associates to utilize our application for a real-time, personalized shopping experience. The tech stack consisted of Node.js, React, and Redux.

My latest role was with Two Six Labs, a research and engineering firm specializing in advanced analytics, cyber security, and tactical mobility. I was tasked with maintaining and improving legacy code using Groovy and JQuery, while rebuilding and componentizing much of the code base using React and Redux.

Outside of work, I am always looking for ways to deepen my knowledge and improve my skill-set. It is very important to me that I continue to challenge myself while maintaining a growth mindset. I enjoy the challenge and dynamism of software development - there is always something new to learn or ways to improve upon one's current knowledge. I accomplish this by following tech blogs, reading monthly industry publications, watching/attending tech talks, and keeping up with the documentation of my favorite technologies, and of course, writing code and building things!

Although JavaScript was my first love and the tool which I am most proficient in, I still find great joy in wandering out of my comfort zone to meddle with other programming languages. I enjoy learning the different intricasies and methodologies and have found that this only improves the way that I reason about my code. I have worked with and understand all of the major paradigms (procedural, object-oriented, and functional), and feel comfortable working with any of them. I believe every software problem presents unique challenges, and the best tools should be chosen accordingly in reaching a solution.