Talent

Meet the Treehouse team: Jon from Engineering

July 28, 2022

Liz Faralli

TL;DR

Get to know Jon, Software Engineer at Treehouse.

What do you do at Treehouse?

I am a Software Engineer. I work primarily on the APIs that power both partner integrations and our on-site experience, as well as internal tools that the operations teams use day to day.‍

What were you doing prior to Treehouse, and why did you decide to join us?

Before joining Treehouse last year I worked at CNET for over a decade - most recently as a Principal Software Engineer for the frontend team. I really enjoyed the team and what I did but felt it was getting to be time to move on. Coincidentally, that’s when I got the opportunity to join Treehouse. The mission and work involved really resonated with me.

Share a memorable moment or project that you’ve worked on since joining Treehouse.

Demoing a project where I integrated geographical information for cities, counties, etc. into our database. Having that information allows Treehouse to determine specific permit pricing, requirements, and more for a given installation address. Another Treehouse engineer, Will, had actually done a lot of research previously on the subject and wrote up an extensive proposal on the options available, and pros/cons of each. This was a great jumping off point when we were ready to pursue the project. Just seeing it click for everyone when demoing it, and knowing how much time it was going to save the team, was a great moment. Even better, a few other features have been built based on this one, so having that work extended and used for other projects is amazing.

At Treehouse our mission is to make electrification easy. What’s your favorite way we are doing that and why?

I really like all the small improvements we’ve done to the customer flows that make getting an estimate or giving additional information easy. I made a concept for the “mark where your electrical panel is on the map” my first week at Treehouse. Seeing that eventually integrated into the photo upload flow, and now into the project estimate flow, is really cool.‍

If you could switch jobs with anyone else at Treehouse for a day, who would it be and why?

Probably one of the electricians. My dad was a handyman and I’d go with him on jobs when growing up, so I’m familiar with the work van experience. Of course I’d need some training to do the job, but I think I could at least help!

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I just generally enjoy making things. I do some woodworking - making furniture, small items around the house, or occasionally some bigger home improvements. I have a 3D printer and am learning how to model/design projects. Last year I designed and printed some LED signs of the Treehouse logo that turned out pretty cool. My wife and I also love to travel - we’re currently trying to plan a trip to attend a European F1 race next season.