About
Hello there! I’m John Foderaro, a professional Software Engineer with over ten years of experience. My current focus is on developing high-throughput, low-latency systems for the web within the advertising technology sector. I find great joy in crafting code that is readable, visually appealing, testable, and scalable. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of cultivating this experience across several languages and technologies.
I’m currently at Mediavine as a Software Engineer III, where I’ve been since April 2019. My role involves engineering Mediavine’s advertising technology platforms and shipping software responsible for real-time, programmatic advertising bidding and auctioning across 16,000 websites. This supercharged software processes several billion ad impressions per month and can reach upwards of 100,000 network requests per second. Wow. That’s some pretty intense stuff!
Prior to Mediavine, I spent several years at WorkWave, initially as a Web Developer and later as a Software Engineer. During my tenure at WorkWave as a Software Engineer, I contributed to the development of their premier SaaS field service management platform, which is an end-to-end system that handles invoicing, scheduling, lead generation, routing, customer relationship management, and more. Prior to that, I developed modern systems for WorkWave’s corporate marketing department’s websites and online lead-generating initiatives.
Before all these professional software development experiences, I had spent several years as a digital marketer. I didn’t even pursue a computer science degree during my undergraduate studies. In fact, I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Geography from Monmouth University. Initially, I was studying secondary education with a history major, but I never loved the idea of becoming a teacher. I eventually reached a crossroads where I felt compelled to make a change and decided to venture into the unknown by withdrawing from the teaching program. So, after several trajectory changes during my undergraduate studies and early professional career, I found myself yet again at a similar crossroads just a few years later. Disappointed with my career in digital marketing, I again recognized the need for change. This time, I had a more strategic approach. I decided I would teach myself computer science and build a new career in software development.
Over the course of a year, I dedicated hundreds of hours at coffee shops and the like, surrounded by stacks of books and my laptop, absorbed in my learning journey. Gradually, I began applying my newfound knowledge at work and, with some advocating for myself and demonstrations of the value I could bring, I earned a new title: web developer.
I’ve always had a love for technology from an early age, and as someone with strong artistic abilities, I find immense joy in overlapping art with technology and technology with art. I even refer to my home office as my studio! That’s because it’s not just a workspace but a creative haven where my ideas can freely take shape and flourish. I enjoy spending time in the studio for various creative projects, both tech and non-tech, and from personal endeavors to professional collaborations.
Recently, I’ve been particularly drawn to Artificial Intelligence, specifically Large Language Models, and their potential applications in various projects and even my daily routines. I believe that we’re living in a post-“software revolution” era, where an evolutionary step in the broader computing space is occurring right before our very eyes through rapid advancements in A.I. and, as a result, a profound reshaping in how humans interact with computers is actively occurring. It’s truly an exciting time for software development, and I’m optimistic for its future. I’m confident that the possibilities are limitless.
