Spotlight Series : Mike Cavaliere

Go behind the scenes with our sublime team members through our Spotlight Series.

Mike Cavaliere

Mike Cavaliere is a Senior Engineering Strategist at Echobind. He’s been in the tech industry for as long as anyone can remember. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, travels here and there, and is a brain hacker on the side (he writes about it periodically at ADHDTechies.com).

How did you get into coding?

I’ve been curious about technology since I received my first computer — a Commodore Vic20 — that was given to me as a gift when I was a kid. I fiddled with software as much as I could until I got to college and majored in Computer Science. At that time the major was theory-heavy, so I spent my own time picking up practical web development skills and using it them get freelance work (HTML was all the rage back then!). The rest is history.

What do you love about what you do?

I love being able to build something that alleviates pain or frustration or saves time for people. I also enjoy using technology to connect people over long distances and solve a similar problem for them no matter where they’re located.

What is your go-to resource when you are stuck on a problem or need guidance?

Google solves all!

Who in the industry do you admire?

Software bootstrappers (Rob Wailing, Dane Maxwell, Amy Hoy, others) are among my favorite people to learn from.

What is your favorite podcast?

For software: Indie Hackers.

Are there any technologies or frameworks coming out that you are excited to use?

Next.js is great. I’m also excited to see Typescript becoming more widely supported, and I think that more innovations like TypeORM are going to evolve out of it as a result.

What have you built that you are most proud of?

It’s hard to pick one thing!

I’m proud of lots of recent Node and React Native work I’ve done with Echobind, since it’s fairly cutting-edge and enjoyable to take part in.

I’m proud of the work I did at Brainscape back in the day since it was software that helped people learn, and since scaling a startup has its own set of interesting technical challenges.

I’m proud of the writing I’ve done on ADHDTechies since it’s given support and relief to people who have been frustrated with cognitive differences.

I’m proud of the mentorship I get to do at Echobind, since a little advice from someone more experienced like myself can go a long way in helping an engineer past their personal roadblocks.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to get into coding?

Connect to what aspects of this industry you seem to enjoy for no reason. Try to build your career around them.

Learn your own strengths and weaknesses well; build the career around your strengths.

Learn, learn, learn.

What do you enjoy doing that is not work related?

All things related to brain improvement, activity, nature, and enjoying time with my wife and adorable son.

What is your morning routine like?

Shower, and get moving! Movement is the best thing for your brain. Also: coffee ☕️