Introducing Twilio Developer Educator Andrew MacLean

Introducing Twilio Developer Educator Andrew MacLean

I asked a former boss recently what they’d say my greatest strength was in the world of tech, and their answer surprised me: “You’re Fearless!”. At first I was pretty taken aback, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s not fearlessness they see—it’s my approach to learning.

I’m an amateur at heart, in the best sense of the word. Without a clear map of what’s “impossible” or “off-limits,” I dive in with curiosity and a willingness to figure things out as I go.

You see, despite how we normally think of the word, being an amateur doesn’t mean being naive—it means loving the process. (The word “amateur” comes from the Latin amare, meaning “to love.”) It’s that sense of amare—a genuine love for learning—that drives me to experiment, share what I learn, and remain curious every step of the way.

Hi there! I’m Andrew, your newest amateur on the Twilio Ecosystem team. For my introductory post, I thought I’d share a little bit about the amateur adventures that led me from tinkering with APIs in my spare time to joining the incredible Twilio team. It’s been a journey full of curiosity, creativity, and countless learning curves—but those are the ones that make learning so rewarding.

K–12 adventures

My journey into technical education started in an unexpected way—with a degree in Forensic Science. (Cue the “ something something takes off sunglasses dramatically” moment.) Instead of solving crimes, though, I landed my first “adult” job in youth work, spending my early career at local youth centers helping teenagers prepare for their futures.

Ironically, if you fast-forward a few years, that experience with youth became the foundation for my leap into the world of coding for education. I returned to school to pursue a teaching degree and eventually earned a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction (here’s my thesis, in case you want to read it). Along the way, I built my first production application: a learning management system called Comtinuum.

University journeys

Now, I mentioned fast-forwarding a few years between youth work and teaching, and while I may have glossed over it a bit, what happened during that time really shaped my career.

During this period, I transitioned from working with youth in community centers to working with them in post-secondary environments. I oversaw STEM summer camps for kids, launched HighTechU—a bootcamp where high schoolers explored tech careers guided by graduate students and industry mentors—and even dipped my toe into traditional higher ed as a sessional instructor, teaching teachers about STEM and Educational Technology.

Industry escapades

HighTechU opened my eyes to the tech industry, but my real journey into tech began in 2020 when I became Community Manager at Battlesnake—a programming game inspired by the classic Snake arcade game. Battlesnake combined the excitement of esports with an innovative e-learning playground for software developers, making it the perfect launchpad for my career in tech.

When Battlesnake was acquired by DevCycle in 2023, I stepped into a more traditional Developer Relations role. I focused on creating educational content—particularly livestreamed learning experiences—to help developers harness the power of feature flags. This role also introduced me to the conference circuit, where I shared insights about how robust pedagogical approaches can help the tech industry thrive.

And now…

As of November 2024, I’m thrilled to have joined Twilio’s Ecosystem team! Here, I’ll be leading projects like Liftoff (coming soon) and Level Up , blending my passions for teaching, technology, and public learning to help you explore what is possible when you build with Twilio.

Want to be in touch? Here is where you can find me:

• Email: amaclean [at] twilio.com
• Github: https://github.com/andrewdmaclean
• Most socials: @andrewdmaclean

Andrew is equal parts tech enthusiast, educator, and the kind of person who can’t resist pressing buttons just to see what happens (sometimes even twice). A former classroom teacher with nearly a decade of experience crafting learning experiences for techies of all ages, he traded chalkboards for the keyboards of the tech industry in 2020 and hasn’t looked back. Since then, he’s worn many hats—Community Manager, Developer Advocate, and now Developer Educator at Twilio—where he helps developers connect the dots between imagination and implementation. When he’s not building (or breaking 😅) things with tech, you’ll find Andrew soaking up the west coast vibes on Vancouver Island, Canada—where he tries (and often fails) to look outdoorsy.