UI Spotlight: Smart Contract Engineer Cole Roberts
Get to know Cole Roberts, a smart contract engineer based in North Carolina.
Hi, Cole! Tell me about yourself.
Hi Brittany! I’m originally from West Monroe, Louisiana, but currently living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. During school, I discovered the power of computers and began my journey into software development.
Mechanical engineering to software development sounds like quite the shift! What led you to work at Upstate Interactive?
I heard about blockchain in 2017, but I never dove deep enough to get a good feel of the use cases behind it. When I learned about smart contracts in early 2020, the impact that blockchain would have on the world immediately clicked — and there was no turning back. I knew I had to be a part of this industry.
What are you most excited about in your new role?
My role is technically “smart contract developer,” but I tend to have more of a full-stack role for the projects I work on — I get to experience the full scope of problems and solutions. That is what excites me the most.
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on here?
The most interesting project for me has been Creaticles. I’ve had the opportunity to work on the front end, back end, and smart contracts, as well as interfacing between the three. I feel like I have gotten a year’s worth of experience in a couple of months.
Is there anything that excites you right now about your local tech scene?
I am very bullish on Winston-Salem’s tech scene. The city’s goal is to become a small tech/biotech hub, and it shows. Wake Forest med is successfully 3D printing organs, and there is a company called FlureeDB focusing on introducing distributed ledger technologies to businesses.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
Anything that sparks my interest at the time. I love anything outdoors, from snowboarding, mountain biking, golfing, kayaking, tennis, chilling at the beach, etc.
