From Scratch Code

About

Hello!

My name is Tyler, I’m a software engineer and the robot behind From Scratch Code.

I specialize in mentoring experienced developers in Rust and Python, focusing on intermediate-to-advanced concepts that enable you to build robust libraries and tools. My goal is to help you deepen your understanding of these languages, so you can create high-quality software and accelerate your career growth.

My largest open-source project is Memphis, a Python interpreter written in Rust, which illustrates my passion for building complex systems from scratch. Through projects like Memphis, I aim to break down technical barriers and make programming concepts more accessible.

I also write about my experience with adult-diagnosed autism at From Scratch dot org. I believe that honoring your mental health is just as important as mastering technical skills, which drives me to create a supportive environment where you can grow both as a developer and as an individual.

FAQs

  • Why build from scratch?

    It’s fun! By adopting this mindset, you force yourself to understand what is happening on every layer, which is key to creating scalable and efficient libraries or tools.

    Another benefit is you get faster build times.

  • I'm a Beginner. Can You Still Help Me?

    Absolutely! While I specialize in mentoring experienced developers on advanced topics, I offer beginner tutoring sessions through Wyzant at lower rates to make learning accessible for everyone.

    Find Out More on Wyzant

  • Should I tell my tech lead I will only build things from scratch from now on?

    No! The building blocks of open-source software exist for a reason. They are well-tested and (often) production-ready. While providing a tremendous learning opportunity, building libraries/frameworks/systems from scratch will nearly always take longer.

    However, if you have a good relationship with your tech lead, you may consider proposing packaging up some functionality you have built as a library for other teams in your company to use. If that goes well, you could even publish it as open-source for the broader community benefit!

  • Why should I pay you? Code should be open-source and free!

    Believe me, my inner critic has said this most days.

    My real answer is extremely long, but here’s the short version: the final module of each course will always be free and open-source. The project courses take a long time to develop and I have to pay my bills.

    While asking for money isn’t my favorite thing, this allows me to spend more time writing interesting code and helping others become more confident engineers. During my corporate career as a software engineer, I frequently experienced autistic burnout and spent many years writing little-to-no code for my employer. I made the decision in 2024 to leave the 9-5 workforce to prioritize my health and my values.

    Either way, if this doesn’t seem valuable to you, that’s more than okay. If it does, I hope we can build a positive working relationship around building software from scratch.

  • Are you a frontend/UI/CSS wizard?

    That's very kind of you to ask, but I hope you can tell by this point I am not. I built this site using Gatsby and React. It is hosted on Netlify. I have been poking at CSS for 20 years and I still avoid it like the plague. I would rather hand-disassemble an x86 binary than try to center some text.

    I'm happy to build you a UI as part of a full-stack project, but be aware that it will look identical to this site.

  • Vim or Emacs?

    I don't know if this is the best place to discuss this.:wq

  • When should I deploy my code?

    Fridays only.