For Beginners in Vibe Coding & AI Development

Build Your Project — with a
Senior Engineer by Your Side

AI tools let you build without years of study — until you get stuck, and tutorials don't cover your problem. Coaching fixes that: 1-on-1 sessions where we work on your real project — you learn vibe coding, programming fundamentals, and how to get unstuck, exactly when you need it.

$150 per hour · 1-on-1 sessions · no minimum commitment
Book a call (20 min) Call or Text Ilya Now
  • 20+ years engineering experience
  • 8+ years of mentorship & coaching
  • Sessions on your real project — not toy examples
  • First 20-minute intro call is free
Ilya Zykin

The fastest way to learn isn’t a course — it’s building your own thing next to someone who has already made every mistake you’re about to make.

— Ilya Zykin

What We Can Work On

Vibe Coding, Done Right

Get dramatically more out of AI tools — and stop fighting them.

  • Effective workflows for Cursor, Claude, Copilot & co.
  • Giving AI the right context so it stops breaking things
  • Reviewing AI output — spotting when it's wrong
  • Structuring a project so AI tools can navigate it

Programming Foundations

Just enough theory — always applied to your own code.

  • Actually reading and understanding the code AI wrote for you
  • JavaScript, Python, or Ruby fundamentals as you need them
  • Git, branches, and not losing your work
  • Debugging: finding out why it broke, not just retrying prompts

Your Project, Unblocked

Live working sessions — we solve your real problems together.

  • Getting past the bug or feature you've been stuck on
  • Choosing the right stack, database, and hosting
  • Deploying — getting your project live for real users
  • Auth, payments, APIs — the parts tutorials skip

Independence as the Goal

The point isn't more sessions — it's you needing fewer of them.

  • A personal learning path built around your project
  • Habits and checklists that prevent repeat mistakes
  • Homework between sessions — if you want it
  • Honest feedback on your progress and next steps

Who This Is For

Built for solo founders, creators, and career-changers who started building their own product with AI and vibe coding tools — and discovered that getting from "it kind of works" to "I know what I'm doing" is hard to do alone.

  • You've built something with AI tools, but you don't fully understand how it works
  • You get stuck more often than you move forward — and each fix breaks something else
  • You want to learn by building your own project, not by grinding through generic courses
  • You want an experienced engineer you can ask anything — without feeling judged for basic questions
  • You're serious about your project and want real skills, not just working prompts

This is probably not for you if:

  • You want someone to build it for you — that's a development engagement, reach out and we'll scope it
  • Your app is done and you need it checked before launch — that's the AI Project Audit ($700)
  • You have a team that needs ongoing technical oversight — that's the Engineering Retainer ($4,000/mo)

How It Works

1

Free intro call — 20 minutes

We meet, you show what you're building, and we figure out where you are and where you want to get. You'll leave this call with useful advice even if we never book a session. Book it here →

2

First working session

We open your project and start working — screen shared, hands on keyboard. The goal of session one: real, visible progress on the thing that's been blocking you, plus a picture of what to learn next.

3

Your rhythm, your pace

Weekly sessions, twice a week, or on demand when you're stuck — whatever fits your life and budget. Between sessions you build on your own; optional homework if you want structure. $150 per hour, pay as you go, stop anytime.

4

Progress you can measure

Every few sessions we step back and look at what you can now do without me. The end state isn't dependence on a coach — it's you shipping features on your own and knowing when to ask for help.

Common Questions

Do I need a programming background?

No. If you've been building with AI tools — even purely by prompting — that's enough to start. We begin from where you actually are. If you already know some programming, great: we'll skip ahead to what you're missing.

What happens in a typical session?

We work on your project over a screen share. Sometimes that's unblocking a bug together, sometimes reviewing what AI generated and understanding it line by line, sometimes planning a feature before you prompt it. Theory comes in small doses, always tied to the code in front of us. You leave every session with your project further along than it started.

Which tools and languages do you cover?

AI tools: Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, v0, Replit, Lovable and similar. Languages and stacks: JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, SQL databases, Git, and deployment (Vercel, Railway, Render, VPS). If your stack isn't listed — ask.

How many sessions will I need?

Depends on your goal. Getting unstuck on a specific problem — often a single session. Building real independence while shipping your project — most people settle into a weekly rhythm for 2–3 months, then taper off to occasional check-ins. There's no package to buy and no minimum: you pay per hour and stop whenever you want.

Can you just fix it for me instead?

Sometimes that's genuinely the better option — and I'll tell you when it is. For a finished app that needs a pre-launch check, look at the AI Project Audit; for repairs, the Fix & Ship package. Coaching is for when you want the skills, not just the outcome.

How do payments and scheduling work?

$150 per hour, billed per session — Stripe, bank transfer, or Wise. Scheduling is flexible across timezones (I work with clients in the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe). Sessions run over Zoom or Google Meet.

$150/hr · 1-on-1 sessions · no minimum commitment

Stop Being Stuck.
Start Understanding What You Build.

The intro call is free, and the first session already moves your project forward. The only thing you lose by staying stuck is time.

First 20-min intro call is free · Sessions on your real project · Any timezone