I started developing my first commercial projects as a web developer in 2017. Although I’ve been passionate about technology for as long as I can remember. I discovered the internet at age 6, and along with it, I learned to use Paint 🎨 and play Pinball on a Windows XP computer that my cousins had. Years passed, and I discovered there was a cyber café near my house, so accompanied by my older brother, I spent a lot of time there, watching others play Age of Empires ⚔️. When I could, I also played on the computers and investigated how those games worked. But above all, I remember that while sitting there, I watched the owner, Alfredo, the good Fred, while he programmed and modeled game maps, or at least that’s what I remember. That made me want to try doing the same. I found it incredible how so many things happened on his screen that, although I couldn’t understand them, looked amazing. Without a doubt, he was my first influence to get into programming.

When we got our first computer at home, around 2011, I spent all my time there, creating my own texture packs to integrate them into one of the games I played the most: GTA SA. For this, I learned to use GIMP and later Photoshop. I wanted to go further and started creating scenarios for the game, so that’s when I learned 3D modeling. By then, I was already 12 years old, and I remember I had the intention of dedicating myself to creating video games 🎮. A couple of years later, knowing that programming is needed to create video games, I researched a bit and created my first website with HTML 4 and CSS3. It was a static page, clearly not responsive, and its design and content were very poor, but I felt very proud seeing my page working online.

My Beginnings in Programming 🖥️

In 2014, I entered high school and decided to take the Programming Technician career. In the first semester, as an integral project, I knew I wanted to make a video game, so I committed to doing it. I learned to use Unity, delved deeper into Blender, and a bit into C#. It was an arduous process, as no one on my team knew how to program, but with their help, we all learned a bit more and managed to complete the project. We delivered a functional demo of a character in a scenario in our 3D survival type game. It was at that moment that I discovered that making a video game is not easy at all and understood the magnitude of knowledge, time, and dedication needed.

I felt good about having achieved that small project, but gradually I fell more in love with web design and development. So, I started learning more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I spent all my free time watching courses and practicing on fictional sites that I designed.

The World of Robotics 🤖

In high school, a teacher and good friend, Esteban Ángeles, recruited me to belong to the school’s robotics team, which competed in VEX Robotics tournaments. He saw me while I was designing a “3D spider robot” in Autodesk Inventor, so I was able to integrate more friends into the team. One of them was Erik Alejandro Estrada Sauza, someone with the same drive and curiosity as me. I was the robot designer, and he programmed it. Along with the rest of the team, we built it. It was a very fun experience full of learning.

In 2015, thanks to teacher Esteban, I was invited to take an Autodesk Inventor course for a week in another city, offered directly by Autodesk. At that time, the need arose in the team to get a 3D printer to further improve the functioning of our robot, so we started researching and trying to manufacture our own 3D printer. During that process, we discovered Kickstarter and ventured to try to publish a 3D printing project.

Exploring Crowdfunding 💡

We discovered that in Mexico there was Fondeadora, a platform similar to Kickstarter. Coincidentally, both platforms were about to merge and, as we had a draft project on Kickstarter, we were invited to the merger event between Fondeadora and Kickstarter. Additionally, we participated in the Make/100 Kickstarter Dreams - The Voice of 100 Creators project, an e-book with a compilation of 100 creators sharing their experience and knowledge gained in their campaigns. There I appeared representing my team as one of the 100 creators.

My First Steps in TEDx Events 🎤

I was approximately 14 years old when I discovered TED talks. I instantly became a fan and, since then, I wanted to attend a TED event, give a talk, or even be part of the organizing team. In 2018, I met a good friend, Octavio Rojas Xicali, who gave me the opportunity to participate in my first TEDx event. I helped with the development of the event’s website and with other organizational tasks. It was an incredible experience that consolidated my love for TED and my desire to contribute to spreading ideas.

Thanks to the people I met in that TEDx experience, I got some of my first clients, some of whom continue working with me to this day. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to web development, while also carrying out small projects and organizing events.

We Organize Events 🚀

Between 2018 and 2019, I had the fortune to be a sponsor and collaborate in organizing:

• TEDxPalmitas Transform Your Walls | 2018
• Talent Nights Hidalgo, Second Edition | 2018
• Startup Weekend Pachuca Social Innovation | 2018
• Techstars Global Startup Weekend Sustainable Revolution Pachuca | 2019
• TEDxPalmitas Winds of Change | 2019

Creating Impact with Technology 🌍

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I observed the need in some local medical centers and decided, along with a group of friends including Mayra Diaz, to contribute our grain of sand by printing and donating 3D face shields. Little by little, the project grew and more people joined. Thus was born Hope Makers México.

In 2021, together with another great friend, Guillermo Mora, we created Devs_Tiza, a community for developers, designers, and technology enthusiasts. Our goal is to organize events, workshops, and mentoring to strengthen the local technology ecosystem.

Sharing Knowledge 🧠

I’ve always liked sharing my knowledge. I often give small courses or mentoring to friends, students, or companies. When questions arise from them is when I learn the most, because sometimes these questions may seem simple and the answers are something we take for granted, but perhaps we don’t fully understand why it is so. This pushes us to:

• Deepen our understanding of concepts
• Understand them better
• Transform them into something that can be taught clearly and practically

Grounding knowledge is, for me, the bridge between knowing and teaching.

Programming Mentoring 💻

From 2021 to the present, I have closely guided more than 15 high school students in the programming career. Taking into account that they are starting their education, when they reach the point of understanding how web pages are made, they begin with the most basic:

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. JavaScript (fundamentals)

I have tried to teach them this in the way I would have liked to learn it at the time, obtaining excellent results, as concepts that weren’t clear to them in school could be understood and applied following this different approach.

Educational Content on YouTube 📹

Many of them were especially interested in frontend and wanted to better understand and master CSS. Therefore, I started creating small videos that I uploaded to my YouTube channel privately so they could consult them when needed.

In 2024, I recorded some FrontEndMentor challenges with better quality and published them on my channel. Currently, I share these resources with people I know who are interested in the topic and want to learn by watching how it’s put into practice.

Although there are few videos, I really enjoyed the process. Due to time limitations, I haven’t been able to record more, as they require a lot of dedication, but I’m sure that I’ll soon be publishing new content.

Some of My Videos 🎬

Here I share some of those videos I’ve created to help others learn web development. Each one addresses different challenges and techniques that can be useful for those who are starting in the frontend world.

What’s Next… 🚀

In 2023, Proyecto Tizayocan was born, an initiative that seeks to apply technology to improve education, urban management, and connectivity in the municipality. This project is still in development, and we are gathering more collaborators to continue advancing.

At the end of 2024, after years working in the city council as Software Development Coordinator, and seeing the technological deficiencies of some municipalities, StellarGov emerges, a web components framework with Tailwind to help developers of small governments create fast and quality websites.

A Bit More About Me ☕

Today, in 2025, I continue working as Software Development Coordinator in my municipality, collaborating with my usual clients and launching projects. I love creating things, experimenting with new ideas, and organizing events. I live with the maker spirit: learning, experimenting, and sometimes causing a bit of chaos. But well, everything is forgiven if there’s music and coffee involved. ☕🎶

Oh! And I’m an expert at preparing coffee. Seriously, whether it’s to start the day or for a creative session, I have the perfect recipe. I’m also pretty good at board games, so if you ever need a partner for a game night, I’m your person! 🎲

I’m Andres Bolaños, and I thank you for reading this.

Let’s Create Amazing Things! 🚀