Passionate about technology since he was a teenager, Laurent joined his school's computer club in the 1980s, where he discovered the first PCs and programming languages. Laurent went on to accumulate a wide range of skills, from carpentry to office automation and security.

In 2017, Laurent decided to go into web development by training as a web integrator-developer. This experience enabled him to set up his association WEB33 in Mérignac in 2019, where he offers his IT services to individuals. At the same time, he is continuing his training to become a professional trainer for adults.

In 2023, Laurent is taking the next step by training in NoCode and AI with the 30-hour online training course offered by Alegria.academy: "I want to save time, and let my customers benefit from NoCode!" 🦾

Between his career path, his various projects and his challenges, Laurent tells you all about it! 🤩

Laurent Urdampilleta: At 55, this computer enthusiast never stops reinventing himself!

His background

Laurent's passion for technology began in the 1980s. At the time, he was a member of his school's computer club, where every Wednesday he immersed himself in the world of early PCs. "They were MO5s running BASIC and MS-DOS," he recalls with palpable nostalgia. It was there that he created his first quiz, launching it with the RUN command to test it, thus laying the foundations for his love of programming languages.

At the end of ninth grade, Laurent chose a very different path from his classmates, opting for an apprenticeship in carpentry and cabinetmaking. For three years, he perfected his craft while preparing, by correspondence, for his CAP Employé des Services Administratifs et Commerciaux (ESAC). At the same time, he did his military service, as part of the last contingent of conscripts. "We were the last to do compulsory military service," he recalls.

From 1993 to 2008, Laurent continued to develop his skills. From administration to accounting to security, he attended numerous training courses and obtained all the diplomas linked to these fields. But after all these achievements, Laurent decided to return to his passion: technology. 

After years of reflection and self-training, in 2017 he took a new course at ESECAD to become a web integrator-developer. "I wanted to understand the creation and behind-the-scenes of websites!" he says. I learned to code and develop websites in HTML, CSS, Javascript and jQuery. To consolidate my skills, I learned to use CMS such as Wordpress and Prestashop in parallel." 

Discovering NoCode & AI

In August 2019, Laurent Urdampilleta decided to put his skills at the service of private individuals by opening his association WEB33, where he offers a wide range of services to his customers: "I wanted to use my skills to help people on a daily basis," he explains.

At WEB33, Laurent offers a wide range of services to his customers, including technical and administrative services and the creation of responsive websites: "I've been able to link all the training courses I've taken to offer my customers a complete service!"
The association has a contact form entirely coded by Laurent, which goes straight to his mailbox. "I used PHP for the form and HTML, CSS and Bootstrap for the front end," he explains.

At the same time, Laurent was looking for a way to save time while putting his technological skills to good use. In June 2024, he came across an advertisement by Francis Lelong, CEO and co-founder ofAlegria.group, and signed up for a webinar hosted by the latter. Convinced, he enthusiastically signed up for the 30h online training course by Alegria.academy to deepen his knowledge and perfect his skills in NoCode and AI. 🦾

Why did he go NoCode?

Laurent turned to NoCode for its speed and efficiency. "The advantage is that you can go faster, while still producing a quality interface!" he says enthusiastically. NoCode avoids the laborious search for source code or templates, simplifying tasks that would otherwise require dozens of lines of code. "I don't have time to do that anymore," he admits.

What's more, while WordPress remains an excellent tool, Laurent recognizes its limitations: "The templates, features and plugins my customers want are very expensive! With NoCode, I can offer them more flexible and cost-effective solutions," he explains.

Laurent also focuses onupskilling his customers, so that they can achieve total autonomy: "I want templates that are easy to modify, that don't waste time and that are accessible to my customers," he insists. To ensure this transition, he offers his customers a little training, showing them how to use these tools so that they can manage on their own, without needing a developer for every update. The autonomy he offers his customers is a major asset, enabling them to manage their sites with confidence and independence.

How he built his customer base 

Laurent has built up a loyal clientele thanks to his expertise and interpersonal skills. "A lot of my customers come from my personal network, by word of mouth," he explains. Laurent's reputation has been forged mainly at local events such as the Mérignac association forum. 

In addition to these events, Laurent uses online platforms such as Allovoisin.com to expand his customer base: "Once I've satisfied a customer from the platform, word of mouth does the rest."

With over 20 clients to his credit, Laurent has worked on various website projects for his clients, mainly using WordPress and the Elementor plugin for front-end development.
Here are just a few of the projects he plans to optimize with NoCode:

• funimagearp - Developed in HTML and WordPress.
• ambiance-disco & justezen24, both created with WordPress and Elementor.

Laurent's Cheat Codes

1 - Learn keyboard shortcuts 

"Whether you're writing or manipulating tools, you'll save nothing but time!"

2 - Knowing the differences between code and NoCode to find out what would suit our projects

"It all depends on your patience and what you want to achieve."

3 - Don't wait to get started!

"Go for it! That's the most important advice I can give you."

What next?

"Whether as a freelance trainer or by creating my own training website, I'm determined to share my expertise and help train future industry professionals!"

We wish him every success in all his projects!