Azzam Makki.

I build software—and the people who build it.

I’m a senior software engineer and the Founder of ZAM Academy. I build production systems, teach developers around the world, and create clearer paths for people learning to code.

Find me onLinkedIn ↗Udemy ↗GitHub ↗

Founder’s work · ZAM Academy

Building the learning environment I wish I had.

I founded ZAM Academy to give working people a clearer, more human path into software development—one built around mentorship, feedback, and meaningful work.

ZAM AcademySoftware development mentorship

Not another video library. A dedicated mentor who knows your code and helps you decide what comes next.

Public teaching record across Udemy courses

36K+learners reached
169countries
4.8/5public course rating
Explore ZAM Academy
01

A personal path

A focused software-development roadmap shaped around each learner's goals, experience, and schedule.

02

Weekly code review

Private mentorship, direct feedback, and a clear next step instead of another pile of tutorials.

03

Projects that ship

Learners build and deploy real software they understand—without putting their careers on pause.

About me

Engineer. Educator. Founder.

I work where software engineering and education meet—building reliable systems, then turning hard-won knowledge into a clearer path for other developers.

Portrait of Azzam Makki

Why I founded ZAM Academy

I learned software development without a mentor, and I know how quickly too many tutorials and no clear order can stall progress. ZAM Academy is my answer: personal mentorship, direct code feedback, and real projects for people who want to learn without putting work and life on hold.

From systems to learning experiences

My work spans production architecture, product strategy, curriculum design, and mentorship. The common thread is simple: understand the real problem, design a clear system, and help people make progress with confidence.

  • Mentorship Design
  • Curriculum Design
  • Systems Architecture
  • Product Strategy
  • Teaching
  • Operations

The practice behind ZAM Academy

Teaching, in the room

The academy is new. The teaching practice behind it is not: explain clearly, observe closely, and help each learner make the next piece of progress.

Azzam Makki leading an in-person coding lesson
Explaining the idea, then making space for learners to try it themselves.

Teaching at scale

A public teaching record

Before founding ZAM Academy, I learned how to explain complex software concepts to learners around the world. The numbers below come from my public Udemy record.

Verified public teaching reach

Teaching at scale.
Mentoring one-to-one.

Public courses taught me how to make difficult ideas clear. They also showed me what recorded lessons cannot do: review your code, understand your context, or tell you what to fix next.

Verify my Udemy record
0Studentsenrolled in public courses
0Countriesrepresented by learners
0Course ratingspublic and verifiable
0Average ratingacross public ratings
ZAM Academy

What comes after a recorded course

Explanation gets you started. Feedback keeps you moving.

ZAM Academy adds the personal roadmap, weekly code review, and dedicated mentor that self-paced learning is missing.

See the mentorship model

Featured public course

Public course · Udemy

Django 5 — Build a Complete Website from Scratch to Deployment

Learn Django by building and deploying a complete real-world web application with a Bootstrap 5 interface.

Explore the course
Django 5 Course course artwork

Career

Experience

Building production software, technical teams, learning products, and a software development academy.

Founder’s venture

Founder & Mentor | ZAM Academy

2026 - Present

  • Founded a personal software-development academy for working people who want a structured path into building real software.
  • Designed the mentorship model, curriculum, learner journey, and product experience around weekly code review and direct feedback.
  • Built the academy platform and its supporting systems across Next.js, Supabase, analytics, automation, and cloud services.
  • Mentor learners while continuing to work as a senior engineer, keeping the curriculum connected to current production practice.
Visit ZAM Academy ↗
  • Next.js
  • React
  • TypeScript
  • Supabase / PostgreSQL
  • Vercel
  • GitHub

Co-founder & IT Lead – LitFlip

March 2025 - Present

  • Co-founded LitFlip, an immersive digital reading platform that replicates the tactile experience of physical books.
  • Led the development of a 3D book reading interface using React, Three.js, and Next.js.
  • Managed backend services and integrations, ensuring seamless user experiences.
  • Oversaw the deployment and maintenance of the platform, focusing on scalability and performance.
  • React
  • Three.js
  • Next.js
  • NodeJS
  • AWS
  • Docker
  • Git

Senior Software Engineer & DevOps Engineer | SmartRetail

December 2024 - Present

Senior Engineer:

  • Designed system architecture and tech specs for new product features
  • Delivered business-critical features on schedule for both internal and client-facing tools
  • Mentored junior developers and reviewed code for quality and consistency
  • Worked cross-functionally with front-end, DevOps, and data teams for full project delivery

DevOps:

  • Built and maintained CI/CD pipelines for seamless deployments using GitHub Actions & AWS tools
  • Managed infrastructure and deployments using AWS ECS, EC2, S3, Lambda, and EventBridge
  • Automated backend job triggers using AWS Lambda & EventBridge
  • Monitored logs and app health using AWS CloudWatch and New Relic
  • Configured and managed containerized services (Docker + ECS)
  • Optimized cost and performance by auditing resource usage and refining deployments
  • Ensured high availability and scalability of applications in production environments
  • AWS
  • Docker
  • GitHub Actions
  • Lambda
  • ECS/EC2/S3/EventBridge
  • CloudWatch
  • New Relic
  • Git
  • JavaScript
  • Python
  • NodeJS
  • React

Backend Developer & Data Analyst | SmartRetail

January 2021 - December 2024

  • Developed RESTful APIs using Django & DRF
  • Wrote optimized queries with Django ORM & raw SQL (PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB)
  • Built client/internal reports using Python, Pandas, and database sources
  • Created dashboards & visual outputs from data reports
  • Built SPAs using ReactJS & Material UI
  • Integrated 3rd-party services to meet business needs
  • Improved system performance (SQL, APIs, data structure)
  • Designed technical specs & architecture diagrams
  • Mentored new developers & supported onboarding
  • Led feature development for internal tools & client projects
  • Collaborated with DevOps to build CI/CD pipelines & manage deployments
  • Monitored and optimized app performance (AWS CloudWatch, New Relic)
  • Tools & Tech: Python, JS, Django, DRF, ReactJS, AWS (Lambda, ECS, S3, EventBridge), PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, MongoDB, SendGrid, Postman, PgAdmin, Anaconda
  • Python
  • Django
  • JavaScript
  • ReactJS
  • AWS
  • Lambda
  • ECS/S3/EventBridge
  • PostgreSQL
  • DynamoDB
  • MongoDB
  • Pandas
  • Git
  • Postman
  • Anaconda

Senior Full Stack Instructor | Udemy

September 2019 - January 2021

  • Developed and published comprehensive online courses, including "Django 5 - Build a Complete Website from Scratch to Deploy," reaching 36,442 students.
  • Designed full-stack development curricula covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Django, and React for learners across 169 countries.
  • Scripted, recorded, and edited high-quality instructional videos using tools like OBS Studio, Camtasia, and DaVinci Resolve, ensuring professional-grade content delivery.
  • Demonstrated strong communication and presentation skills by breaking down complex technical topics into easy-to-understand lessons.
  • Django
  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • React
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • OBS Studio
  • Camtasia
  • DaVinci Resolve

Full Stack Web Developer | Lenzo E-Commerce

March 2017 - September 2019

  • Designed and developed full-stack web solutions leveraging Python, Django, PostgreSQL, and modern frontend technologies like ReactJS, HTML, and CSS.
  • Implement solutions to business that increase net sales by 25%, achieving more customer engagement and smart stock management for the E-Commerce
  • Implemented efficient database schemas to boost performance and streamline data management
  • Python
  • Django
  • PostgreSQL
  • ReactJS
  • JavaScript
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • Git

Engineering

Technical craft

I design, build, deploy, and operate full-stack products—from backend services and data systems to the interfaces people use.

Built across the stack

My strongest work connects architecture to outcomes: reliable APIs, thoughtful data models, clear interfaces, and infrastructure that keeps the whole product healthy in production.

Tools I use to solve problems

A practical toolkit for product design, API development, testing, data analysis, cloud operations, and observability.

  • Figma
  • VSCode
  • Postman
  • DBVisualizer
  • Selenium
  • JMeter
  • Pandas
  • AWS

Technologies I build with

A full-stack foundation centered on Python, Django, JavaScript, React, Next.js, relational data, and dependable delivery.

  • Python
  • Django
  • JavaScript
  • NodeJS
  • React
  • NextJS
  • jQuery
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • Bootstrap
  • Git
  • MySQL
  • PostgresDB
Data Strings 01 by Colorpong: https://ywft.us/2177b695b