Juan Mendiola

Toronto, ON Canada

Tell us about yourself

Hey everyone! I have close to 7 years experience in the entertainment industry as a 3D artist, working for companies such as Electronic Arts, Activision and Walt Disney Feature Animation. One of the highlights of my career was being part of the team behind Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Currently, I am the Lead 3D artist at a mobile gaming start up in Palo Alto, CA. I have been at the startup for almost two years, but will returning to school in September to study computer programming.

What got you interested in learning computer science?

Working in game development as a 3D Artist, I am exposed to code each and everyday. It was a logical transition for me to go from a visually creative process to process in which you have to use creativity to solve problems. I feel that there is a lot of overlap with the two and that is what makes this such a unique and interesting journey. Working in Silicon Valley has also inspired me to learn code as it is the center of tech and entrepreneurship. I feel that learning code will unlock many opportunities down the road.

How did you find out about CodeHS?

I found out about CodeHS on Quora, which is a really popular ask to answer site in Silicon Valley. I was intimidated by the task of learning how to code and needed to start with the basics. I felt that CodeHS offered a solid learning base that I can build upon in my learning journey.

Favorite program you've made so far?

My favorite program that I have created on CodeHS was a Karel challenge called "double tennis balls". I spent quite sometime trying to figure out a way to solve the problem and after writing lots of lines and functions, accidentally stumbled upon the correct answer. It was a great "ah ha" movement for me as I really had worked hard to grind through the problem. I couldn't believe how simple and logical the correct answer was.

Anything else?

I would like to thank the team at CodeHS for creating such a solid learning platform as well as all the mentors for all their feedback and input. I hope in the future CodeHS will continue to expand on the topics it covers. I would recommend CodeHS to anyone who is interested in learning how to code, but intimated by all the thick books and computer jargon bring thrown around in programming circles.