Developers
Most of what I spend time on for developers doesn't show up on a project page or in a blog post. It's the meetup I run, the people I mentor, the introductory classes I teach. Different formats, same thread: helping someone get unstuck, or get started, or stay in.
Coffee 'n' Code
A biweekly developer meetup I've run in Brampton since 2018, every other Saturday from 11 to 1 at the Springdale Branch Library (10705 Bramalea Road).
I started it because there was a lot of programming talent in Brampton when I lived here — and no community around it. People were learning to code from YouTube and Stack Overflow on their own, applying to entry-level roles and not getting them, and they had no one to talk to about any of it. The library was willing to give us a room and coffee. That was enough to start.
What it actually is: free coffee, free space, a few hours, and whoever shows up. Some sessions are 4 people; some are 14. People bring whatever they're working on — a portfolio site, a take-home interview problem, a side project they're stuck on, a bug at work they can't talk about with their team. There's no curriculum, no presentation, no agenda. The format works because it's low-pressure: you don't have to be at any particular level to come, and you don't have to perform when you do.
The conversation continues in the Brampton Coffee 'n' Code Discord. New people are welcome any time — there's no "missed the first session" problem because there's no first session.
Run with the Brampton Library: Coffee 'n' Code program page · Saturdays 11–1 at Springdale Branch Library (10705 Bramalea Road, Brampton).
"Andrew fostered a welcoming and supportive space for new and experienced coders… his collaborative nature, and his genuine eagerness to help others learn and succeed."
Mentoring
I mentor developers one-on-one through Codementor. Most of the work is unblocking — someone's stuck on a specific problem and needs another set of eyes for an hour. Sometimes it's bigger: a career-direction conversation, a take-home review before they submit it, walking through architecture choices on a side project.
I've also done a lot of mentoring inside companies I've worked at. When I was at Blade Air, I worked closely with junior team members on day-to-day code and on bigger process changes — we moved the team from waterfall to Agile, introduced Jira and sprint planning, and built up a culture of doing things the right way even when it took longer. That kind of in-team mentoring doesn't have a website to point to, but it's a real chunk of what I've done over the years.
"Andrew mentored me and I can say he truly does care about teaching and getting his students to understand the concepts. He truly is interested in providing insight and understanding more than just solving your problems."
"He became more than just a technical advisor — he was a patient mentor, always willing to share his knowledge and help aspiring engineers grow. Many junior team members benefited from his guidance, leveling up their abilities and gaining confidence."
Teaching
I've taught introductory programming and web classes at the Brampton Library and through Canada Learning Code — Python, HTML, WordPress, SQL, plus the Coffee 'n' Code workshops. The audience is usually adults who have decided they want to try coding and have no idea where to start. The job is making the first hour feel survivable, not impressive.
Canada Learning Code runs workshops and programs across the country to get more people — especially adults and those underrepresented in tech — coding.
The pattern across all of this is the same: most people don't bounce off coding because the concepts are hard. They bounce because the first time they fail, no one is there to tell them that's normal, this is what learning looks like, keep going.
"Andrew is a passionate and knowledgeable instructor who creates a welcoming and supportive learning environment, especially for those who are new to coding. He is patient, kind, and deeply committed to helping participants build confidence and skills at their own pace."
Why I keep doing this
I had people who did this for me — a manager who explained things instead of just fixing them, a colleague who showed me what good code looked like by writing it next to me, a friend who sent me an interview problem and then sat on a call while I worked through it. None of that was billable for them. It's how I got here.
This is how I pay it back. It's also, honestly, how I stay sharp — explaining a concept to a beginner is the fastest way to find out which parts of it I don't actually understand. So it's not entirely selfless.
Get involved
Come to Coffee 'n' Code — the next session and the Discord are at coffeeandcode.space.
coffeeandcode.space →Book a one-on-one session — if you want focused help on a problem, a code review, or a career conversation.
Book via Codementor →For everything else, the contact page is the right place.