Loading. Please Wait.

Roles

Traits

Skills

My Profile Picture

John Fodrocy Software Developer

I am a Tokyo based software developer with experience working in several object oriented languages and web technologies. After teaching English for seven years, I decided to make the jump to software and earned my computer science degree from Oregon State University with a GPA of 3.78. I am eager to get into the professional world and start working on exciting software.

Degree
B.S. Computer Science, Oregon State University
Degree
B.A. International Relations, Michigan State University
Technologies
Ruby, Rails, JavaScript/jQuery, PHP, HTML5, CSS/SCSS, Git

Some of My Projects

I've been developing software for more than three years now and I have a lot of different projects I am hacking away at. I also did some software projects while earning my degree in computer science from Oregon State University. Here are a few them.

  • TerraChronica
    Link
    www.terrachronica.com
    Technologies
    Ruby, Rails, JavaScript/jQuery, HTML5, CSS/SCSS, Git, Heroku, AWS, rSpec, Cucumber

    This is my biggest project so far. It is a world building application designed to help users create, organize and share fantasy worlds like Middle Earth or Westeros. It uses a whole host of different technologies I learned while making it.

  • Kudosizer
    Link
    www.johnfodrocy.com/kudosizer
    Technologies
    PHP, JavaScript, SQL, HTML5, CSS, Git

    This is one of my later projects I worked on while earning my degree. It is made with some of the first technologies I learned to work with, but It also incorporates some more difficult things like asynchronous requests and calls to an API. Also, this was a group project, so it was important to communicate and write code that could be easily understood.

  • JohnFodrocy.com
    Link
    www.johnfodrocy.com
    Technologies
    JavaScript/jQuery, HTML5, CSS

    This is the page you are on now, my portfolio page. It makes heavy use of HTML5's canvas element and JavaScript. It is probably a little excessive for a portfolio page, but I want to show you my creative side and how I write and organize my code. Also, I hope this page gives you an idea of why I like software. I love to hack things together and create.

  • Stellar Domination
    Technologies
    Ruby on Rails, React, JavaScript/jQuery, HTML5, SCSS

    This is a multiplayer space combat game I'm working on. Right now, its front end is being developed using React while the back end is a Ruby on Rails powered API. In the future, I hope to use this API to make mobile front ends.

  • Classroom Manager
    Technologies
    Google App Engine, Python, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, JSON

    The idea for this project came from my own experience teaching. It is a way for teachers to keep track of and share lessons plans. This was a difficult project to work on because of the new technologies I had to learn to complete the project, especially Google App Engine and Python.

  • SpazMat
    Technologies
    Unity 3D, JavaScript

    This is a Unity 3D application I have been working on in my free time for a while now. Working with Unity 3D really brings back the feelings I had when I was a kid playing with Lego blocks and reminds me of what I love about making software.

Adapting to Japan

I live and work in Japan. Adapting to Tokyo after living in Michigan my whole life took some time, but I loved the process of learning about a new way to live.

  • Transportation

    Say farewell to getting everywhere by car and hello to the five or six salarymen squished up against you on the morning train. This still remains one of my favorite things about living around Tokyo, aside from the morning commute of course.

  • Food

    Sushi, sashimi, udon, tonkatsu, ramen and soba are just a start to the amazing tastes of Japan. I'm still a little scared of natto, but for the most part, I love Japanese food.

Teaching

I have been in the education industry for about seven years now. I have experience teaching to students of all ages and ability levels. I think teaching is a fun, challenging and rewarding job that has taught me alot about working in Japan, effective communication and being professional.

  • Heart Corporation
    Company Location
    Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
    Position Title
    Assistant Language Teacher
    Time Period
    2009 - 2011

    I worked in public senior and junior high schools in Saitama Prefecture teaching English. I designed and executed lesson plans, engaged the students in English conversations and helped the Japanese staff, all while adapting to Japan's unique culture and working atmosphere.

  • Joytalk
    Company Location
    Sakura City, Tochigi Prefecture
    Position Title
    Assistant Language Teacher
    Time Period
    2011 - 2014

    I worked in a junior high school teaching English. Once again, I designed and executed lesson plans, engaged the students in English conversations and helped the Japanese teaching staff at my school.

  • With English School
    Company Location
    Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture
    Position Title
    English Teacher
    Time Period
    2014 - present

    My current job is at an English conversation school, or eikaiwa as an English teacher. I teach students of all ages and ability levels in small classes or private lessons. I have to adapt each class I teach to the English levels and learning goals of the students.

  • Renew English School
    Company Location
    Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture
    Position Title
    Assistant English Teacher
    Time Period
    2010 - 2014

    While with Renew, I taught classes in the evenings to junior high school students. Many of my students were studying hard for the Eiken Test, so the topics were very focused on grammar and strategies to pass the test. However, it was still important that I prepared the students for English conversation.

Books

I started learning how to develop software by reading books and experimenting in my free time. Of course, most of my learning was hands-on, but reading books taught me about more than just how to write commands, it taught me things like how I should structure my code and the pros and cons of different commands.

  • Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML
    Author(s)
    Freeman, Freeman & Robson
    Publisher
    O`Reilly

    I only include this book here to remind myself of where I started. I didn't know anything about making software, just that I wanted to be able to make useful applications. This book represents my first steps down the path of making software.

  • Head First JavaScript
    Author(s)
    Morrison
    Publisher
    O`Reilly

    My introduction to programming. This book taught me not only JavaScript, but the fundamentals of programming. I loved this book and had a great time experimenting with the things I learned from it.

  • PHP Solutions
    Author(s)
    Powers
    Publisher
    Apress

    This took me deeper into programming and really got me started with object oriented programming. It also taught me that there is a difference between good code and code that simply gets the job done. Things like the importance of using the right tool for the job and structuring code so it is reusable were emphasized just as much as teaching PHP.

  • The RSpec Book
    Author(s)
    Chelimsky
    Publisher
    Pragmatic Bookshelf

    This was my first look into the process of making good software. This book focused on testing and Behavior-Driven Development. I learned a lot about the Agile design process as well as testing with rSpec and Cucumber. I finished this book with a better idea of what kind of developer I want to become.

MOOC

Before I started my computer science degree, I tried my hand at a massive open online course. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it. In the future, when learning a new technology, MOOCs will be one of the first resources I turn to. I am currently taking Introduction to Linux to get a better understanding of the operating system.

  • Software as a Service
    Institution
    BerkeleyX
    Content
    Ruby, Rails, Agile, REST, BDD

    I had already started hacking things together with Ruby on Rails when I entered this course, but I broadened my knowledge when I went through the lessons offered by Berkley. This is another resource that taught me the difference between adequate and beautiful code.

  • Introduction to Linux
    Institution
    LinuxFoundationX
    Content
    Linux

    My experience with Linux so far has been using only the commands I need to complete the tasks in front of me. I want to dive deeper into the operating system and learn to utilize it to its full potential so I enrolled in Introduction to Linux.

Computer Science Education

After realizing that software is a perfect fit for me, I decided to get a proper education and really pursue it. I wanted to learn more than how to write code, so I knew I would have to be more well-rounded in my computer science knowledge. I liked almost every class I took, but here are some that stood out to me as especially enjoyable and helpful.

  • Oregon State University
    Degree
    B.S. Computer Science
    GPA
    3.87 GPA
    Date
    2015 - 2016

    I decided to enroll in Oregon State University to earn my computer science degree. The program was challenging, but it turned me from a programmer into a computer scientist and a software developer.

  • Data Structures
    Content
    Time Complexity, Algorithms, Graphs

    I loved this class because it was the first time I could really envision software working mechanically. This was especially true with things like binary heaps, where there are several moving parts that need to work together to make a working data strucuture. It was also my introduction to Big-O time complexity, which was something I hadn't learned about while studying on my own.

  • Mobile Apps and Cloud Computing
    Content
    Software as a Service, Google App Engine, Python, JavaScript, NoSQL, HTML5, CSS

    Of all the recent innovations in the field of software, cloud computing is the most interesting to me because it allows anyone to create and easily scale up amazing software. I had experience with cloud computing before this class, but this class taught me how I can use APIs and different front ends with the same back end. By leveraging these tools and skills, anyone with a great idea can make amazing software.

  • Usability Engineering
    Content
    UX Design, User Research

    I loved this class because it tapped into my creative personality and my training as a teacher. My creativity was sparked when thinking of ways to change and improve the user experience while my training as a teacher was put to good use when thinking about the audience using my software. Also, the user experience is really what it is all about at the end of the day, and it was nice to take a class that focused on the end product for the user.

Other Experience

I have a lot of experience outside of software and teaching. I think every one of my jobs or positions I have had has made me who I am today.

  • Legislative Intern
    Workplace
    The Office of Senator Hansen Clarke
    Institution
    Michigan State Senate
    Location
    Lansing, Michigan

    I did a little bit of everything while working at the Michigan State Senate. I was the first person who visitors to the senator would speak to when they called or came to the office. I also helped with researching for legislation, various projects and even some data entry. I guess you could say I was a typical intern.

  • Referee
    Workplace
    Grand Haven Recreational Department
    Institution
    City of Grand Haven
    Location
    Grand Haven, Michigan

    This was my first summer job. I was in charge of refereeing and making sure inline hockey games went smoothly. It was a lot of fun and taught me the importance of being decisive.