Engineering Coaching
You shipped something with AI and it runs. Whether you could change it safely, or defend it in a code review, is a different question. That gap is where engineering happens, and it's what I coach.
The fastest way I grew was getting my code reviewed by people more experienced than me. AI gives you some of that now, but it can't tell you when its output is plausible rather than correct, and that judgment is the engineering. I bring 20 years of it: 10+ years at Sun/Oracle, co-founding Pybites, two Talk Python 100 days of code courses, and coaching more than 150 developers.
How I can help you
I coach you to build maintainable full-stack systems, to direct AI instead of leaning on it, and to write safer code in Rust. We build real projects together at a deliberate pace, which is how the deeper mechanics actually stick.
The three pillars of modern software engineering
Whatever we build together, the coaching rests on the same three pillars. They are what turn AI-assisted output into software you can change safely and defend.
Decision-making, not typing
Software engineering has always been about architectural choices. We're paid to make decisions, not to type code.
Read →The control layer is the product
Avoid the LLM fixation. The real work is the control layer above the model. Reliable production AI needs repeatable architectural patterns.
Read →Design over code, not volume
Real productivity lives in the questions you ask before coding. In one case, replacing a 1,069-line AI-generated app with 156 lines came down to design mastery.
Read →Take your own project to production (1:1)
This is where I spend most of my time. You bring a real project, we make it something you can change safely, test, and defend.
A full-stack, layered, tested Python app. I have templates for a full-stack app or Django SaaS product, but I prefer you come to me with a challenging idea of your own which we scope out for a 6-12 week program. We work together on your codebase, and I review your PRs and give you feedback on architecture, testing, and deployment (the parts that are hard to learn by yourself or with AI).
The fastest start is a quick call, no prep needed. Prefer to write first? Just tell me what you're building.
No project in mind yet? Start from a fixed-scope six-week template (Snipster or a Django SaaS).
Or join a specialized cohort
Prefer a structured curriculum and a group of fellow developers? Go deeper on production AI or integrated Rust, each a hands-on 6-week build with weekly PR reviews.
Agentic AI
AI models are easy to use, but how do they hold up in production? Build a maintainable, predictable system around an AI agent, not flaky POC glue. Function calling, three interfaces, 95%+ test coverage, Docker deployment. Co-led with Juanjo Expósito.
Scripter to Rust
Python is easy to write code in, but sometimes at the cost of being performant and safe. This cohort teaches you to think like a systems engineer and where scripting languages hit their limits. A hands-on Rust + PyO3 project, benchmarked against CPython. Co-led with Jim Hodapp.
Coaching for teams
Your team doesn't need more generated code, it needs better feedback loops. Speed without engineering review compounds into technical debt. I run the same approach with engineering teams: your developers build something real together, get deep code review, and carry those habits back to your codebase. Private cohorts (Python, Rust, or Agentic AI) or hands-on coaching against your own repo.
What students say after working with me
Developers I've coached have shipped a legal citation generator for Canadian courts, a distributed lock over gRPC, an AI bookmark CLI, a published pytest plugin, and a Django payroll SaaS.
"I was building a full-stack app mostly through AI-assisted coding and needed guidance to take it from proof of concept to production. Bob coached me through the parts I couldn't validate on my own: Django settings architecture, payment security, error handling, query optimization. More than anything, his coaching gave me the confidence to actually ship."
"Three months ago I was literally writing 'Hello World'. I went from basic scripts to launching a full-scale SaaS payroll application, and I just landed my first real business client."
"Six years later, I can see that doing the coaching was a great decision. I learned to write clean, well-tested, production-ready code and to think critically about my work. In January I was promoted to Senior AI Engineer and became a team coordinator."
"Bob helped me make the transition from knowing how to code to building full-stack applications from idea to deployment, including an F1 dashboard built with FastAPI and a movie and anime discovery platform built with Django. He teaches best practices and how to manage the inevitable hard parts that come with the job, like error handling and refactoring code into something maintainable."
"I grew more in a few weeks than I would have in 2+ years by myself. After years of dreaming of personal projects, I finally built an API, a Django app, and an AI-powered CLI tool."
See the projects → · More stories →
Read the full case studies
Developing a Mental Model of AI by Building an Agentic Application
Jeff had decades in software but mediocre Python and no map of AI. Six weeks later: an agent with three interfaces, ~250 tests, and a real mental model.
Read →"Rust Is for People Who Want to Be Punished." Now Jochen Trusts It More Than Python.
Jochen thought Rust was self-punishment for the pros. Three months later, his hand-rolled JSON parser ran up to 3.5x faster than CPython.
Read →Learning a New Programming Language Is More Important Now, Not Less
Everyone says AI agents make learning new languages obsolete. Josh spent six weeks learning Rust and built a JSON parser that beats CPython's C stdlib. Here's why developers who still learn languages will have the edge.
Read →From Python Script to Production: A Django Coaching Case Study
Career changer, new to Django, built and shipped a movie and anime discovery platform in 6 weeks of 1:1 Python coaching.
Read →Python to Rust: A JSON Parser in 6 Weeks
What a senior Python engineer learned building a JSON parser from scratch in Rust.
Read →From Hobby Code to SaaS to Orchestrating AI Agents
Ryan Austin ships payroll software in the Bahamas. In 2021, he couldn't tell if his architecture was sound. In 2025, he's directing AI agents with confidence. The foundation made the difference.
Read →Frequently asked questions
What does it cost? The Agentic AI and Rust cohorts are €2,000 each. The fixed-scope 1:1 Python program, where you build Snipster or a Django SaaS, is €1,500. Custom 1:1 coaching, where you bring your own project, varies by engagement, so I price it after we talk, in a written proposal you see before committing to anything. Most developers recoup the fee inside one role move, one promotion, or one paying client.
How long does it last? A focused 6-12 week program of weekly coaching. Some developers stay on longer as their projects grow.
Can this help with the job market, not just my code? Directly. Shipped work you can defend in a code review, talk about, and write about in public is the proof that opens doors, and it's also what gets you read as senior in interviews and review. Piotr was promoted to Senior AI Engineer, Heather moved from Excel/VBA into a software role, and Rodrigo went from chemical engineering to a remote engineering job.