Nick Mistretta
- Senior Web Developer
- Scorpion
School Information
School: Stonybrook University
College Major: Other
Years at College Works: 2014 to 2016
Career Information
Working For: Scorpion
Title: Senior Web Developer
Industry: Technology
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Create and update new and existing websites, stay on top of new and existing technologies, create systems and frameworks for the entire department to speed up development times.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?Getting hired as an intern for my company, then quickly moving into a full-time role into a Senior position and being able to create some of the systems that an entire department use all tie into my proudest moment post-College Works Painting.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting was the foundation for all of my success and all future successes that I will achieve.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
College Works Painting gave me so many skills that set me up to be successful in my career. Immediately after graduation it gave me the skills to go on successful interviews and get job offers right away. I still use many of the skills that I learned from College Works Painting every day.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
To my clients in general, I would like to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on your home. It was a big deal to be able to do that and by giving a young college kid a chance to make something of himself, it really meant a lot.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
The greatest lesson I learned from College Works Painting was to be confident and to never stop setting goals for myself, to push myself every day.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
Post-College Works Painting I have worked with several of my co-workers on business ventures, and I have stayed close with many of them. I have also created a great network of people who may be future business partners or co-workers one day.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
For potential and current College Works Painting participants, I advise that you do not take this opportunity for granted. You have such a great opportunity to grow as a person, develop amazing skill sets, meet some incredible people and actually make an impact on people’s lives. That is something that you should make sure you take advantage of every step of the way.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
I think that doing an internship/getting experience in your field is definitely important, but it is not necessarily going to set you apart. For my industry, things are constantly changing, so for someone to get an internship in the field, some of the things you learn may not necessarily be the same by the time you get a job. You should absolutely stay on top of those in order to grow you career, but it is more important to learn skills that you can use in any field – just in my few years post-College Works Painting, I have changed what my end-goal career path is several times, and with each I know that the skills I learned from College Works Painting are going to help me to get there .
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Never stop learning. The field is always changing and there is always going to be a new or better framework or technology that you can use to create better products
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Going to the San Diego for DM training for the first time was something that I will never forget. It was one of the best trips of my life and I am so glad that I got to be apart of that.
Last words of wisdom?
Take advantage of this opportunity and use your DM/GM/VP to help you through it. It is a tough program and you are going to be challenged constantly, but that is part of what makes you grow and succeed in all aspects of your life.