Michaël Bourgeois: An engineer turned Nocode & AI expert

Michaël has had a busy career. Trained as an engineer, he went on to occupy a number of roles in research and development, marketing, and finally as business development manager with the French company Saint-Gobain. At the same time, Michaël has been passionate about coding from an early age. In 2021, he will embark on a 2-year course atÉcole 42.
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His passion for code is growing by the day, but he wants to go faster, and create without limits! Michaël then embarked on NoCode and AI with the 30h online training delivered by Alegria.academy. 💪
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Between his career path, his various projects and his challenges, Michaël tells you all about it! 🤩

His background

Trained as an engineer, Michaël Bourgeois devoted twenty years of his career to Saint-Gobain, a French company renowned for the production, transformation and distribution of materials. Over the course of these two decades, he has risen through the ranks, taking on roles in research and development, marketing, and finally as business development manager for the South American zone. His career has taken him all over the world, from China to Brazil, via the United States, nurturing his love of travel and new experiences.

In December 2019, after a busy career, Michaël decides to turn the page and embark on a new adventure. "I said to myself: All my life, I've been learning and I'll continue to learn!" he says with conviction. This thirst for learning led him to explore the world of code, a passion he has always had alongside his engineering duties. For the past two years, he has been following the program at École 42, a code school renowned for its autonomous and innovative approach. "We manage our own progress and advancement in the curriculum. It's great, I love it."

But Michaël didn't stop there. Alongside his training at École 42, he discovered the world of NoCode, a development method that enables him to create tools and services with disconcerting speed and simplicity. "Frankly, NoCode is fantastic. It's a bit like putting bricks together to create services and tools that others can use. The best part is that it can be applied in so many different fields!"

This dual interest in code and NoCode is proving to be a powerful combination for Michaël, who sees NoCode as an opportunity to complete projects quickly while having fun. "The idea is to create tools that will help people on a daily basis. Code doesn't always allow me to do that quickly, but with NoCode, I can get useful results very quickly."

In addition to his technical skills, Michaël is also a personal development and life coach, accompanying people in career transition. He adopts a positive approach, based on understanding individual talents and building self-confidence. "I really enjoy passing on and coaching. I love people in general", he says with a smile.

Michaël recently completed the 30-hour online training course offered by Alegria.academy, an experience he found extremely rewarding: "Alegria[.group] lives up to its name, it's a caring community filled with positive energy!" This energy, he adds, suits him perfectly and has stimulated his own progress. 

Now, he's looking to apply his new skills in concrete projects, particularly in the associative sector where he can build his portfolio while making a difference. However, he hasn't forgotten his roots, and plans to return to the corporate world. "I realize the immensity of the playground in a company, I want to use what I've learned!"

Discovering NoCode and AI

In September 2023, Michaël began to take a serious interest in NoCode. While developing an application, he explored numerous online resources, including YouTube tutorials. "I'd seen a lot of Francis' videos, and at school we'd heard about it too, but it was still a bit hazy for me," he says. This blur quickly disappeared when Michaël realized the abundance ofNoCode tools available. Simple yet powerful tools that allow you to create applications without having to code down to the smallest detail.

These discoveries opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Michaël. The NoCode tools, created by talented developers, give him ideas for his own projects. They enable him to quickly turn his ideas into services and management solutions. "All these tools were made by developers. They inspire me and enable me to create a whole host of services more quickly, in every field I touch," he explains. NoCode is not only a fascinating playground for Michaël, but also an opportunity to earn a living by developing useful applications and services.

For Michaël, the taste for autonomy and travel is omnipresent. During his many travels, he met freelancers working in the cities he passed through, encounters that inspired him. "NoCode and AI could enable me to create this kind of life," he confides. Michaël dreams of becoming a freelancer, being able to work from anywhere in the world while using his skills in NoCode and AI to realize innovative projects.

What he's proud of

"My pride and joy is my curiosity. In fact, I think I'm very curious, and this quality helps me in each of my projects. I don't feel like I'm working and trying too hard." His insatiable curiosity enables him to explore a wide range of tools and dimensions, whether entrepreneurial, building a tailor-made business, or creating new solutions. Michaël is particularly proud of this curiosity, which feeds his continuous learning and helps him identify opportunities that enable him to build a business that really suits him.

Autonomy is another aspect he's very proud of. Michaël stresses that he feels even more autonomous now that he's planning to go freelance, compared to his previous experience with a large group. He values this new-found freedom and the ability to manage his own time and projects.

Michaël also speaks fondly of his "childlike side", which enables him to engage in many activities without realizing that he's working. This playful and passionate approach to his work is a source of pride for him. Finally, he is proud of the career choices he has made, enabling him to have an activity that suits him and in which he can blossom to the full.

Upcoming projects

Michaël Bourgeois has a number of exciting projects in mind, which he looks forward to bringing to fruition over the coming months.

1. Simplified, Flexible CRM for Craftsmen and Traders

Michaël is currently working on an innovative, simplified CRM(Customer Relationship Management) project, aimed at small craftsmen and tradesmen. "This CRM would be much simpler than other tools available on the market, but also much more flexible and adapted to the specific needs of these professionals," he explains. It aims to facilitate customer management by highlighting new products and informing potentially interested customers. This project was directly inspired by discussions he had with craftsmen, to respond precisely to their needs. Thanks to NoCode, he can develop this product in close proximity to its end-users, ensuring great adaptability and customization.

Michaël stresses the importance of starting simple, a principle he learned during his training at Alegria.academy. "I'm going to create a kind of MVP(Minimum Viable Product) or even a POC(Proof of Concept) using tools like Airtable and Make, as well as SoftR for a simple, easy-to-use interface."

2. Exploring French quarters with code and NoCode

Another project he's working on combines code and NoCode. Michaël, who loves walking and exploring different neighborhoods in Paris, where he's lived mainly for the past 20 years, plans to create a product that lets you explore a neighborhood in depth in a limited time. "Current tools often offer very limited walks. Me, I want something more exhaustive to enable people to get to know their neighborhood like the back of their hand, even for those who live there, not just for tourists." The project will combine a NoCode interface with APIs to provide detailed information, such as urban vegetation, and route calculations to explore the neighborhood in all its nooks and crannies.

3. Sports training management

Finally, Michaël wants to have fun with innovation in the field of sport and the management of his swimming workouts. While he recognizes the existence of many solutions in this field, he is determined to create something new and unique. "I love swimming and recording my sessions, but I want to create my own, simpler and personalized tool to manage my workouts and track my progress."

Michaël's cheat codes 

In his view, the key lies in curiosity and a genuine desire to explore these innovative fields. His tip? Address your own needs and those of others when considering projects: "Think about your own everyday needs, and you'll find inspiration!"
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Michaël also encourages staying motivated throughout the process, having fun in his Maker achievements. "The most important thing is to have fun in every creation!" he concludes.
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Tips for those who want to get started
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Michaël recommends staying grounded in reality. "When you discover a possibility in NoCode, you have to talk about it around you, NoCode and AI are tools that you're actually going to use, so it's important to participate in calming the feeling of uncertainty and unknown around these technologies." he advises.
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Reassuringly, he stresses that it's not necessary to have a revolutionary idea right from the start. On the contrary, he encourages you to get started even if an idea already seems to exist, because every product can be an opportunity for learning and continuous improvement.
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What next?

In his aspirations for the future, Michaël Bourgeois expresses his desire to become a professional Maker, offering his future customers both solutions combining code and NoCode. He plans to combine his professional activity with his passion for encounters and travel, declaring: "For 20 years, what animated me most was travel and encounters. The NoCode Maker business could continue to feed that!" This vision offers him the prospect of once again traveling the cities he's passed through while earning a living. He also emphasizes the importance of this duality between No Code and code, declaring, "Having a background as a coder and a Nocoder makes my possibilities infinite."

We wish him every success for the future!