Employee Spotlight: James Larson

An interview with James Larson, Senior Software Engineer at Mondo Robot

Tell us a little bit about your experience?

I’ve been at Mondo Robot for about 5 months. I’ve been a software engineer for 10 years or so. I’ve dipped in and out of the video game industry working as both an artist and an engineer, but I have always gravitated back to engineering because I enjoy it so much. I've worked for a handful of really great companies and gotten exposure to a bunch of different industries. I’m really happy to have landed at Mondo Robot though! The people are fantastic, I love the agency environment, the pace of the work, and the ability to try on a few different hats as projects change.

What are your core job responsibilities?

My experience leans heavily on the front end, as such I get to work on UIs all day for the most part. We work with React and React-Native mostly. Aside from writing code, a large part of this job is having relationships with our other teams. I work with project management, design and QA daily to ensure our projects turn out great.

What advice would you give someone trying to get into your profession?

If you’re interested in becoming a software engineer, come up with a simple idea and build it! I find the best way to learn is by doing. Get your feet wet writing some code and see if you enjoy it. If you hit a roadblock or a problem you don’t know the solution to, I guarantee you can find a solution somewhere online. The engineering community online is amazing and there is so much knowledge shared for free. I’m self-taught and will always suggest motivated individuals to go that route too.

What kind of projects do you like to work on?

I love me some data visualization. Give me a project where I get to make some graphs and I’ll be a happy camper. Also, any project where I get to learn something new will keep me happy, which is great because that seems to be every project. Maybe one day I’ll make my own indie game.

What is the most challenging thing about your job?

Every once in a while I’ll get a really complex user interaction to sort out. Something that relies on a bunch of different variables, or requires specific timing of events. Those can be pretty tricky. They can also be the most rewarding once you’ve completed them.

What do you like about working at Mondo Robot?

The people are great. The projects are very interesting. There are lots of opportunities to try new things and learn on the job. The leadership is very focused on the employees, from wellness to career growth. Every day is an opportunity to learn.

What tools help you with your day-to-day?

I basically live inside Visual Studio Code.

What do you do in your spare time?

Powerlifting, fly fishing, play video games, play with my dog Salem, eat cookies my wife makes.

What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?

I really enjoy drawing.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could bring one thing, what would it be?

A heavy kettlebell.

Where’s your favorite place in the world?

My family’s cabin near Steamboat Springs.

If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Chewbacca

Three words to best describe you:

Enthusiastic, Honest, Hungry

What’s your favorite food?

Tacos

What’s your personal quip?

Sriracha goes with everything