Building a Developer Fellowship

When I joined university, I got lucky. I found mentors early who helped me get on track. That alone made a difference.

Then I joined the Microsoft Student Partner program. Back then, Microsoft had a local evangelism team in Pakistan. I learned from them. How to teach. How to run events. How to get people excited about technology and actually help them move forward.

I took that and ran with it. Built the IT Society at university. Delivered 200+ sessions over four years. Learned what actually works when you're trying to help someone level up, and what doesn't.

By the time I graduated, I had a question: what happens to the people who didn't get lucky? The early career engineers who are already working but don't have time to figure everything out on their own? The self-taught developers who don't know what to learn next?

That's where Dev Weekends started.

The idea was simple. Take everything I learned in four years of evangelism and mentorship and apply it to a new format. We started on weekends because that's when working professionals could actually show up.

The Gap We Saw

Universities in Pakistan, and honestly most places, teach syntax. They don't teach systems thinking. They don't teach you how to debug a production issue at 2 AM or how to read a codebase written by someone who left the company three years ago.

We identified three problems that kept showing up:

The Education Gap. Universities teach you to pass exams. Industry needs you to ship products. The distance between "I can write a for-loop" and "I can architect a system that handles 10,000 concurrent users" is vast. Nothing in the curriculum bridges it.

No Roadmap. Brilliant minds stuck without direction. A kid in Lahore with genuine talent doesn't know whether to learn React or Angular, whether to focus on DSA or system design, whether open source matters or is a waste of time. There's no mentor to say "here's what actually matters."

Learning Alone. Self-teaching is romanticized but brutal. Without community, without accountability, without someone to tell you "you're on the right track," most people burn out or drift.

What We Built Over Eight Years

This thing grew into something I didn't expect.

20,000+ community members across 7 countries. Not just passive followers. People actually engaging. The Discord is active almost every day. Conversations happening, people helping each other debug code at midnight, celebrating wins, sharing rejections and figuring out what to do next.

1000+ freelancers in the community sharing work, helping each other find gigs, learning from sessions on freelance engineering. Recruiters actively rely on our community for hiring. When companies need talent, they come to us.

Five different reading sessions where we meet once a week to go through books or series of engineering topics together over Discord. System design, clean architecture, whatever the group wants to dig into. One thing I learned: people don't just need information, they need a group to process it with.

We've run ongoing series on:

• Automation testing
• Deep engineering topics
• Cloud and DevOps
• AI and ML
• Freelance engineering

Not one-off sessions but sustained series where people build real understanding over time.

Mind Masters

This one is different from the technical stuff.

We started Mind Masters because we noticed something: you can't build a career if you're burning out. A lot of our members were technically capable but stuck. Procrastinating. Overwhelmed. Lacking direction.

Mind Masters is about understanding your brain. Building discipline. Being more productive. Finding a true purpose in life.

It's an invite-only community for engineers who understand that growth happens beyond the keyboard. We've had sessions on:

• Psychology of excellence
• Time and energy mastery
• Brain health and mental health
• How to let go
• The spiritual dimension of work and life

We do Talk of the Week, Talk of the Month, Book of the Week, Book of the Month. Curated content from the world's best thinkers on performance and meaning.

The Outcomes

Numbers matter because they represent real people whose lives changed:

• 200+ placements per year through our network
• 500+ LeetCode Centurions (probably closer to 700+ but we don't always count)
• 2 GSoC acceptances
• 30+ actively contributing to open source
• 20+ engineers placed at Turing alone
• 71% career placement rate
• 18% completion rate (working to improve this)

People landing jobs at startups in Europe, at companies they'd only seen in tech news. In Pakistan's ecosystem, open source contributions, GSoC acceptances, competitive programming culture, this stuff doesn't happen. It's not the norm. We're building something that didn't exist before.

Why We Evolved

Everything we did before worked. I want to be clear about that.

The community model, the sessions, the reading groups, the freelancer network, Mind Masters, all of it. It helped a lot of people. We were placing 200+ engineers a year. Recruiters were coming to us for talent. People were building careers.

But we saw room to improve.

The casual drop-in culture meant some people drifted. They'd attend for a few months, learn some things, then disappear. Not because they weren't talented. Because there was no structure pushing them through the hard parts.

We also didn't have enough data. We knew people were getting jobs, but we couldn't always track it systematically. We couldn't replicate success consistently.

And the mentor pipeline needed work. The senior folks who could guide others were busy with their own careers. We needed a better system to bring them back in.

So we didn't kill what was working. We built on top of it.

The Fellowship

In early 2025, we launched The Fellowship.

Same spirit. More structure. Clear tracks, clear milestones, clear accountability.

The Philosophy: Three Pillars

Before the mechanics, let me explain what we believe. The Fellowship isn't just a curriculum. It's built on a philosophy that took us years to articulate.

Pillar 1: Purpose (The Why) Find your "why" before your "what." We've seen too many talented developers burn out because they were chasing jobs, not meaning. We start with spiritual grounding: why are you doing this? What will keep you going when the LeetCode problem feels impossible and the job rejections pile up?

Pillar 2: Psychology (The Mindset) Your mindset is your most important algorithm. We spend significant time on dopamine management, overcoming procrastination, building discipline, and developing what we call "winner mentality." This isn't motivational fluff. It's practical: how do you structure your day? How do you handle rejection? How do you stay consistent when motivation fades?

Pillar 3: Practice (The Skills) World-class engineering through deliberate practice. DSA, system design, tech stacks. But without the first two pillars, the skills don't stick.

We run three types of content, every single day:

• Morning: Mindset Talks. Productivity hacks, discipline frameworks, the psychology of high performers.
• Afternoon: Tech Talks. System design deep dives, industry best practices, technical skills.
• Evening: Spiritual Talks. Purpose, resilience, giving back, building a life beyond code.

How It Works

Three tracks, each 3 months long. You start where you are.

Beginner Track (Bronze) is for people who've never written code or who've dabbled but never built anything real. We strip away the noise. No "learn 17 frameworks in 30 days" nonsense. Programming logic, web basics, data structures. 30 DSA sessions. 12 engineering deep-dives. 12 major projects. By the end, you have a portfolio. Actual things you built. LeetCode 100-200 problems solved.

Intermediate Track (Silver) is where most self-taught developers get stuck. You know syntax. You've followed tutorials. But you don't know how to think about systems. We focus on architecture, how pieces fit together, advanced algorithms, the problem-solving that technical interviews actually test. LeetCode 300-400 problems. Open source contributions.

Advanced Track (Gold) is for experienced developers. Complex systems. AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD. Industry collaboration on real problems. And you start mentoring the folks behind you. Teaching cements your understanding. It's also how the whole thing sustains itself. LeetCode 1000+ problems.

The 12-Week Sprint

Every fellow operates on the same cycle:

Weeks 1-4: Foundation & Skill Building Master the development environment, core skills, start building first projects. This is where beginners usually stall on their own, spending months picking a text editor. We don't let that happen.

Weeks 5-8: Open Source & Advanced Skills We push people into the wild. Contributing to open source projects. Reading codebases that aren't yours. Applying to programs like Google Summer of Code, LFX Mentorship, Outreachy. Real software is messy and undocumented. This is where you learn that.

Weeks 9-12: Industry Readiness Career-focused. Mock interviews with real engineers (up to 5 per fellow). Portfolio polish. Remote job applications. Resume optimization with ATS-friendly templates. This is where it becomes real.

Choose Your Path

Not everyone wants the same thing. We built three paths within the fellowship:

Path 1: The Competitive Edge For those who want to compete at the highest level. Master algorithms, crack ICPC regionals, compete in Meta Hacker Cup. Deep algorithmic problem solving, Codeforces rating progression, advanced data structures.

Path 2: The Balanced Engineer Excel in both worlds. Build production-grade products while maintaining strong DSA skills. Target remote roles and side projects. Full-stack product development, GSoC participation, remote job interview prep.

Path 3: The Open Source Path Go deep into open source. Crack GSoC, LFX, Outreachy. Build your reputation in the global developer community. GSoC proposal writing mastery, contribution workflow, building maintainer relationships.

The Clan System

When you join the fellowship, you're assigned to a clan. Each clan is capped at 20-25 fellows per cohort to ensure personalized attention. We have 25+ clans, each led by one direct mentor supported by co-mentors and helpers—many of whom are former fellows who have returned to give back. This isn't optional. We review your GitHub activity, your LeetCode submissions, and your project progress weekly. If you're falling behind, we know, and we reach out to unblock you.

The Circles Ecosystem

Beyond the main tracks, we've built specialized communities:

• Open Source Alpha - Beginner open source contributors
• Open Source Beta - Intermediate contributors on real projects
• X-Team - Elite performers building production systems
• ICPC Team - Competitive programming preparation
• GSoC Prep - Google Summer of Code preparation
• Interview Prep - Mock interviews and placement prep
• Remote Job Placement - Landing international remote opportunities
• 2-Day Startup - Onsite weekend sprints to beat procrastination
• Co-Working - Virtual sessions for focused productivity
• Hackathon Circle - Building flawlessly engineered products
• Weekend Deep-Dives - Topic-focused intensive sessions

The Mentor Cycle

The model works because we closed the loop.

The people who went through Dev Weekends and landed jobs, they're the ones who understand what actually worked. So we brought them back. Engineers at Microsoft, top-rated freelancers on Upwork, founders, senior developers at Calo, Salla, and startups across the world. All volunteering 10-15 hours weekly because someone once invested in them.

Mentees become mentors. Gold helps Silver helps Bronze. Not charity. A cycle. You take, then you give back.

Why It's Free

We had serious conversations about charging. Other bootcamps charge thousands. They have marketing. They promise outcomes.

But the people who need this most can't afford it. The kid in Lahore whose family makes $400 a month. The self-taught developer in a small town who keeps getting rejected because they don't have the "right" background.

That's who we built this for.

The chain continues. Equipment sponsors help us provide laptops and registration fees for students who can't afford them. 100% of donations go directly to student support.

Where We Are Now

Eight years in. What started with weekend sessions at university is now running almost every day. Reading sessions. Tech series. Mind Masters. Freelancer forums. The Fellowship. Discord always active.

People completing projects. Posting them on LinkedIn. Getting jobs, internships, landing on platforms, working with top companies, getting into GSoC.

The Dev Weekends spirit is still there. The willingness to ask dumb questions. The late-night debugging. The arguments about whether React is still worth learning.

But now there's more structure. A path through the chaos.

We don't just hang out and code anymore. We build engineers.

How to Join

If you're wondering whether you're "ready," you're not. Nobody is. That's the point.

Join our Discord. Complete the kickoff. Get assigned to a clan. Begin.

It's free. It's intense. It works.

The program is primarily remote and accessible, with some on-site activities as well. It is open to everyone, not just underserved regions, and there is no fee to participate.

We don't promise job placement or guaranteed outcomes. Instead, we focus on helping participants grow as engineers, learn from real-world challenges, and connect with a supportive community.

The Three Pillars

While we offer specialized tracks, the foundation of Dev Weekends is built on three pillars:

• Purpose: Helping participants clarify their career direction and motivation. Engineers with clear goals are more resilient and make better decisions.
• Psychology: Addressing the mental challenges of engineering—impostor syndrome, handling failure, and staying motivated during tough projects.
• Practice: Technical skills taught in a real-world context. Not just "how does this framework work?" but "how do you build and maintain real features in a team?"

Delivery Format

We run large cohorts (700–800 participants per batch) divided into 25+ clans of 20-25 people each. Each clan has a direct mentor and auxiliary support from co-mentors and helpers. Instead of formal code reviews initially, we focus on unblocking participants quickly—helping them solve issues in their clans through lots of engineering talks and Q&A sessions.

The emphasis is on practical help, peer learning, and building the discipline required for long-term growth.

Technical Implementation

The Project Approach

We use tutorials initially, but with a twist: we select ones that are slightly broken or challenging to complete. This is intentional. It helps fellows build sustainable habits and consistent schedules—an idea borrowed from Atomic Habits—while still pushing them toward technical excellence.

As the fellowship progresses, we move away from tutorials:

1. Week 1-4: Individual project with messy requirements (simulating real work)
2. Week 5-8: Team project with git workflow and collaboration
3. Week 9-12: Open source contribution or personal project

Each project has intentional challenges: unclear requirements, legacy code patterns, performance constraints. This mirrors what professional work actually looks like.

How We Help

We help participants by quickly unblocking their issues and bugs, running mock interviews, and holding deep engineering discussions. Our focus is on practical support, real-world problem solving, and helping students truly understand concepts through conversation and hands-on guidance.

Scaling Challenges

The Time Problem

Running the program takes 10-15 hours weekly:

• Session prep and delivery: 3-4 hours
• Helping with issues and bugs, mock interviews, and engineering discussions: 4-5 hours
• One-on-ones: 2-3 hours
• Admin: 2-3 hours

This was sustainable alongside a full-time job, but just barely. The solution: graduating alumni into mentorship roles.

The Alumni Network

After the third cohort, we formalized alumni involvement:

• Graduates who land jobs can mentor current participants
• They handle most one-on-ones, help with issues, and run mock interviews
• Core sessions are still led by experienced engineers

This creates a virtuous cycle. People who received help want to give it back.

Results

After eight years:

Scale

• 800+ engineers have participated
• 74 have completed full certification
• Active community on Discord

Outcomes

• 71% career placement rate for active participants
• 18% completion rate (currently working to improve this)
• Average 40% salary increase for job-changers
• Several alumni now work at international companies

Sustainability

• No fee: The program is free for all participants
• Filters for committed participants
• Alumni mentorship reduces dependency on founders

Lessons Learned

What Worked

Start small: We began with 5 people. Getting the format right before scaling prevented a lot of pain.

Habit building through "Broken" tutorials: We use tutorials initially to help fellows establish a rhythm and schedule (inspired by Atomic Habits). However, we select ones with issues or high difficulty. This builds the discipline required before moving into full project work.

Real projects for excellence: Messy, realistic work prepares people better than polished exercises. This is where we push the limits of what they can build.

Build community: The peer relationships outlast the program.

What Didn't Work

Passive Content: Recorded lectures have low completion rates. We tried it. People watch at 2x speed and retain nothing. For passive content, our criteria now is a deployed running project followed by mock interviews to catch AI-supported work that builds no fundamentals.

Unrealistic Expectations: Early on, we promised too much. "Land a job in 3 months!" Some people did, most didn't. Now we're honest: this is hard work over 4+ months.

Ignoring the job search: Technical skills don't automatically translate to offers. We added explicit training on portfolios and interviewing.

What's Next

We're exploring:

• Specialization tracks (cloud security and data engineering)
• Company partnerships for hiring pipelines
• Remote-first cohorts for underserved regions

The goal remains building something that outlasts direct founder involvement. We're getting closer.

The Takeaway

Community building is slow, unglamorous work. The hours are real. But so are the outcomes. Getting a message from someone who landed their first tech job makes it worthwhile.

In an industry where we measure success in deployments and metrics, working on something more human provides meaningful balance.