The first Peer Lab meeting was on July 20th, 2013. Just over 6 years ago. Peer Lab in Amsterdam is finished.

It was originaly created as a non-alchoholic developer gathering where we could do more than just talk and argue about tabs vs spaces. I wanted an event where we actually worked on things and benefit from either the direct help of our peers or at least the energy of everyone working on their projects. I called it Peer Lab because I wanted to make it clear that it wasn't simply "Ask Samuel Time". It was meant to be an event for developers in Appsterdam to support each other and encourage each other.

My friend Ash Furrow lived in Amsterdam for some time after Peer Lab started. When he left for New York, he took the idea with him and hosted in own at his employer's office. He even setup a website where people can find other Peer Labs running in cities around the world. It's cool to see other people running similar events in their cities. I think every city would benefit from having one.

In that time, I've met many people and they have found the help they needed. Some have gone from asking questions about their own first projects to becoming gainfully employed. Others have finished the app they dreamed of making. All thanks to support from their peers.

Now after 6 years though, I'm shutting down the Amsterdam Peer Lab. It was meant to be a sustainable event that didn't take so much time and effort that I could not keep it going week after week, but I think even then it cannot go on forever.