CATLab Blog

The CATLab seeks not only to solve Westmont’s most pressing problems, but to solve them in a way that distinctly embodies Westmont’s values. As a program, the CATLab is a microcosm of the Westmont community, built on the same foundation—Christian, liberal arts, undergraduate, residential, and global.

It’s 6:30am on a Monday morning and you’re woken up by the sound of your alarm ringing. You’re tired and groggy, but you reach for your phone to turn off its alarm and notice a text from your friend that was sent to you late last night. You respond, then take a trip over to Instagram and like the posts of your friends, check your email, and respond to the messages your coworkers sent over the weekend. You check the time again and you’ve already spent 20 minutes on your phone since you’ve woken up.

Salesforce, like many major platforms with individual purposes, employs a native programming language uniquely tailored it its needs. Apex—Salesforce’s language—is similar to Java, while also possessing a number of custom features specifically for the Salesforce environment.

Many of the fundamental concepts of computer science are used regardless of skill level. For beginning programmers especially, however, building a solid foundation on which to grow is highly important. Here are eight tips to help develop as a beginning programmer.

Back in the 90s before Salesforce’s founding, not-yet-CEO Marc Benioff rented a beach house in Hawaii and immersed himself in the culture there. Ever since, the concept of ‘ohana has been integral to life as part of the Salesforce family.

As higher education undergoes a shift from the traditional to the technological, institutions must adapt as they look forward at emerging technologies. Here at Westmont, the CATLab is an incubator for imaginative, valuable ideas that inspire technological evolution. Yet the CATLab’s formation was only possible due to Westmont CIO Reed Sheard.