Nathan Ridley

CURRENT STATUS:

I'm currently on hiatus working on a project that takes all my time and energy. Until I'm back mentoring properly, if you ever want a session with me, best thing to do is pick a time between 7am and 5pm (+10GMT) (any day, incl. weekends) and schedule it via Codementor's scheduling system. If the time is fine, I'll confirm it. If the time is temporarily a problem, I'll reply and let you know. Most of the time I can make myself available, as long as I have at least 24 hours notice.

"TEACH A PERSON TO FISH AND YOU'LL FEED THEM FOR A LIFETIME"

My strength is helping you learn to code, debug, structure your application, and in general, how to be a good developer. If you want to develop the skills to build anything you can dream up- to switch easily from one language to another, to implement existing algorithms and data structures, design your own algorithms and data structures, analyse any codebase, debug any problem- I can help you learn language fundamentals, debugging skills, architectural thinking, and the mindset you'll need to develop your desired skill set.

If you're looking for someone to debug your code for you, or to "just tell you what to type", I can probably help to some degree, if I've recently used the particular combination of technologies and libraries you're having trouble with, and/or if the scope of the problem is small and focused. You'll probably get more value from me by having me help you learn to debug more effectively though, using the particular bug you're having trouble with.

LEARN BY DOING

If you have a starting point, whether it's just an idea, or a partially-developed app, I can walk you through building it out, restructuring it (and knowing how to identify where to do so), filling in knowledge gaps that you have, and so forth. It's easier to learn when you're building a real thing, so I aim to help you fast-track that learning process.

BECOME HIGHLY EMPLOYABLE

I often hear developers having trouble with having to compete with many other developers and wondering if the market is too crowded, and why they have so much trouble landing the roles they want. The truth is that really good developers don't ever have trouble getting work if they want it. If you want to be the kind of developer that can pick and choose which roles you want, ask for guidance.

WHY ME?

I am friendly, extremely patient, and pride myself on being able to explain things in a way that you will actually understand. Too many developers take basic concepts for granted, and end up just confusing people when trying to explain an idea. I think it's important to be aware of my audience and I try to tailor my approach to the individual in question.

I do both visual design (UI/UX) and full-stack development, and have spent almost my entire career glued to a screen doing some kind of software development both on and off the job. Most of my experience is with web-based application development, though I have ventured into client app development, 3D engine design, game design and so forth as well. Currently I'm working on the biggest project of my career; a self-directed endeavour in which I'm trying to redefine and merge a number of fundamental paradigms in software development, dataflow and user experience by combining concepts for which the relevant expertise is not usually found under the same roof. Codementor helps keep me independent while I do this.

I know that a long session can cost you more money than you'd like, so to ease your mind, my personal policy for mentoring is:

1. I'll only start the clock once I know that I can help you.
2. I won't drag things out if I can help it. Time is money. If I can help you quickly, I will.
3. If you're unsatisfied with my service, or I wasn't satisfied with the value I provided, I'll issue an immediate refund on the time logged.

Bottom line is I'm not happy if you're not happy. If you don't think my assistance was worth a five star rating, I haven't done my job and you won't be charged.

Note: English is my first and only language; I am Australian, though my accent is fairly neutral. Some people have indicated that the language barrier with non-native English speakers can be an important consideration for them when choosing a mentor, which is why I'm mentioning it here.