Meet Your Build Master, Roy

Learn who leads the AI Dojo and write your own builder intro.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

Imagine walking into a gym for the first time. Before you pick up a weight, you want to know who your coach is and whether they have actually done the work themselves.

In this project, you will meet Roy Piring Jr., the Build Master of Build and Brew: The AI Dojo. You will learn his story, understand what the Dojo is for, and prepare your own builder intro to bring to your first session.

What You'll Build

Picture yourself walking into your first Dojo session with a written intro in hand, reading it out loud, and having the whole room know exactly who you are and why you showed up.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

  • You can tell anyone who asks "who runs this?" exactly how Roy went from picking up rocks to Tech Architecture Manager at Accenture Federal Services.
  • You can explain the Dojo's philosophy in one sentence: ship something small every week with other people doing the same.
  • You understand what the room expects from you and what roles Roy plays as your Build Master.
  • Secret Mission: Write your own builder intro following Roy's format and get it ready for the stage.

Do I need any technical experience?

Not at all. Build and Brew: The AI Dojo welcomes all levels. Whether you have never touched AI or you have built dozens of projects, the room is for builders, not experts.

Before We Start

You are about to spend an hour a week building alongside someone. Before we go any further, let's get clear on what this project is about and why it matters to you.

Meet Your Build Master

Before you trust someone to lead a room, you need to know how they got there. Roy Piring Jr. does not lead with degrees because he does not have any. He has 19 tech certifications, including SecurityX+(CASP+), but no degree.

He leads with the story of how building got him here. In this step, you will walk through Roy's path and come away able to explain his background in a single sentence.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Read Roy's path through three careers and twenty jobs.
  • Learn where Roy stands today and where he is with AI.
  • Write a one-sentence summary of Roy's background.
Three careers, twenty jobs, no degree

Roy's path to tech was not a straight line. Here is where it actually started.

How did Roy get into tech?

His first real job was picking up rocks and debris on a construction site. Hard work moved him up, until his body made that plan stop working.

Hospitality was next. He could not talk to people, so he took a job that forced him to. Physical security for hotels and condos, then operations manager. Facing people and solving their problems all day is where he actually learned to communicate.

Then came a support desk with no tech experience at all. He bridged the gap with what hospitality had taught him, and it was still a completely different game.

Three careers and about twenty jobs later: senior cloud engineer and manager at Leidos. Sixteen years in tech, all of it self-taught, on the job, by building.

The road keeps going. Roy starts at Accenture Federal Services as Tech Architecture Manager on August 17, 2026.

From picking up rocks to architecture at a federal services arm of one of the largest consulting firms in the world. No degree appeared. The certifications stacked up, 19 of them, but the building is what got him there.

Where Roy is with AI

Roy thought AI was for people with PhDs, locked in a lab somewhere. It is not.

Since November 2025 he has built over 180 projects, around 80 of them AI. It changed how he works in his day job and in his own businesses.

Is Roy an AI expert?

He is not calling himself an expert. He is 10+ months in and building every day.

Roy is a little further down the same road you are on. The Dojo is where you cover the rest of it together.

Off the clock

Roy is a father and a husband. He runs two small businesses on the side, real estate and advisory.

He has competed in sport most of his life. Six years of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and these days club shooting competition.

Why does competition matter here?

Standing up in front of people and being watched while you work is uncomfortable. Doing it anyway is what turns nerves into confidence. That is what the Dojo's stage is for.

You have read Roy's full story. Now put it to the test.

Think about what makes Roy's path different from a typical tech career. If someone asked you "Who runs Build and Brew, the AI Dojo, and why should I trust them?", what would you say?

  • Switch to Notepad and write one sentence that answers that question.
  • Your sentence should cover enough that someone who has never heard of Roy knows why he is the right person to lead the room.

If your sentence captures the building and the grit, you have got it.

You know who is leading the room. Next up, you will learn what the room actually is and what it expects from you.

Understand the Dojo

You know who Roy is now. That path might feel like a lot to live up to.

The Dojo is a room of people closing the same gap, together. All you need to do is show up.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Understand the Dojo's weekly rhythm and philosophy.
  • Learn the roles Roy plays in the room.
  • Connect with Roy on LinkedIn and GitHub.
Read the Dojo's philosophy

There is a real gap between wanting to build with AI and knowing where to start. Roy does not think you close it by watching.

You close it by shipping something small, every week, with other people who are doing the same. Sessions run weekly on Fridays, and all levels are welcome.

  • Read the full Build and Brew: AI Dojo Guideline on Notion to see how sessions run, what to expect week to week, and how the room is structured.

What counts as participation?

Building or watching. Both count. There is no minimum skill level and no prerequisite.

Learn the roles Roy plays

Whatever you need Roy to be, he will be. Mentor, colleague, delivery manager, scrum master.

These are the same roles you would have on a real team, because that is what you are practicing.

What is solutions engineering?

This is the Dojo's core discipline. Planned, built, reviewed, shipped as a tagged version people can trust.

Whether you write code or not, it is the part you keep.

Connect with Roy

Come say hello, or look at what Roy is actually building.

Send a connection request

If you are on LinkedIn, send Roy a connection request and mention Build and Brew, the AI Dojo. He reads every one.

Before you move on, think about this. If someone asked you "what does Roy expect from you in the Dojo?", what would you say?

Secret mission

Write Your Own Intro

Roy stood up and told you who he is. Now it is your turn. Writing about yourself honestly, without hiding behind job titles or certifications, is the hardest thing in the room. Your intro needs the same honesty Roy showed you.

Clean Up Your Resources

Clean Up Your Resources

This project runs entirely locally using Notepad, so there are no ongoing costs or running services to shut down. The only resource you created is your builder intro file.

Resources you used:

  • Your Who Is [Your Name] Notepad file (local file on your computer).

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you are planning to bring your intro to the next Dojo session.

  • Your Who Is [Your Name] file stays saved wherever you put it. Consider pinning its location so you can find it on session day.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

There is nothing running that needs to be paused. Your intro is a saved file on your computer and it costs nothing to keep.

  • Make a note of where you saved your Who Is [Your Name] file so you can find it when you are ready to come back.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove your intro file if you do not plan to use it.

  • Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where you saved your Who Is [Your Name] file.
  • Right-click the file and select Delete.
  • Empty your Recycle Bin if you want the file permanently removed.

Nice Work!

Nice Work!

You walked into a room led by someone you had never met and walked out knowing exactly who he is, what the Dojo is for, and where you fit in it. That is the hardest step of every build: showing up.

You learned how to:

  • Tell anyone who asks exactly how Roy Piring Jr. got here: three careers, twenty jobs, no degree, sixteen years in tech, from senior cloud engineer at Leidos to Tech Architecture Manager at Accenture Federal Services, and 180+ projects built since November 2025.
  • Explain the Dojo's philosophy in one sentence: ship something small every week, with other people doing the same, and get comfortable being watched while you work.
  • Describe what solutions engineering means in this room: planned, built, reviewed, shipped as a tagged version people can trust. Whether you write code or not, it is the part you keep.
  • Secret Mission: you wrote your own builder intro and it is ready for the stage.

Ready to quiz yourself?