Being a successful engineer isn’t just about the technical side. You also need the skills to find the job you want, apply for it successfully, ace the interviews and tests, and negotiate the right offer. Once you’re in the job, there’s a lot to learn about adapting to a new company or team, finding your way around a new codebase, and collaborating with new people. Then there’s the next steps: up, down, sideways, or out? Where is your career ultimately heading: independence, seniority, or management? Maybe a mixture of all three?

If these are the kind of questions you’re grappling with, a career advice session with me could be a big help. I’m the author of Code For Your Life, a much-praised book on surviving and thriving in tech, and I’ve been, variously, an IT person, programmer, devops engineer, infrastructure consultant, technical writer, teacher, and mentor. I’ve worked everywhere, done everything, made every mistake imaginable, and for the last 15 years I’ve built and run a successful independent business helping people just like you.

Most of us, in fact, don’t really know what we want to do with our working lives until we’re more or less doing it. By the time we’ve made our minds up where we want to go, we may already be a long way down the wrong track.

It’s not surprising, then, that many of us find ourselves in less than fully satisfying jobs, with doubtful or non-existent prospects for advancement. In all honesty, if we are happy in our jobs, it’s probably more often a matter of luck than of design.

Maybe rather than rushing around wildly, we should give a little thought to what we want to achieve in our careers. Rather than just sit back and hope we get the career we want, maybe we should actively plan and take steps to bring it about.

—A career ending mistake

Getting started

If you’re looking to start your career in tech, or transfer from another industry, I can help you figure out what kind of jobs to apply for, and how to gain the skills you need. All jobs require experience, but what if you don’t have any? Learn how to teach yourself what you need to know, and most importantly how to demonstrate that expertise to employers. What are hiring managers looking for, and how can you stand out in a highly competitive field of candidates?

Junior to senior

If you’ve a year or two’s experience under your belt and looking to make further progress, what should you focus on? How should you negotiate the minefield of collaboration, remote teamwork, and code review? What’s the best way to talk to your boss about your plans and get their support? What really makes a great senior engineer? How will your work change, and what new skills will you need? And what does generative AI mean for us as software developers?

Beyond senior

Coding is easy, leadership is hard. How do you deal with difficult people, and build solid relationships across teams? How can you get the best out of yourself and those you’re responsible for? What’s involved in hiring great people and developing them to senior level? What is staff engineering, and how is it different from the regular kind? Do you have what it takes to become a Distinguished or Principal engineer, and what would that look like?

Independence

If your career goals include one day running your own business, or otherwise working independently, what will that be like? Will it suit you and support your needs? How can you become a master of your craft, while juggling time and focus? How do you get from here to there? When is it time to go it alone? How do you market yourself and your services? What practical and business skills will you need to be a success?

Supportive listening and advice

I have decades of experience as a consultant and mentor, and have helped hundreds of people build fun, rewarding careers in tech. Whatever your career problems or questions, it can be hugely reassuring to talk them over with someone who’ll listen and help you figure out the right way forward. Whether you’d like regular guidance and mentoring, or just an occasional chat when things crop up, I’m here to help.

Probably the best mentor ever. The level of patience and attention to detail is astonishing.

—Mentee

How it works

Use the ‘Purchase’ button above to buy your session. I’ll contact you by email to say hello, find out what you’d like to learn, and arrange a video call for your session at a convenient time for you.

If you enjoy your first session and would like more, you can book further sessions at any time, but with no obligation.

What you get

You’ll receive a one-hour introductory mentoring session with me, and the option to continue with further sessions if you want to. You’ll also get access to the Bitfield Institute of Technology’s student Slack community, where you can share tips, questions, and discussions about software, infrastructure, and tech with other people of all levels of experience.

If your career goals include software engineering in Go, you’ll also have the opportunity to work toward a prestigious BIT Certificate, giving you an employer-friendly record of your learning achievements to add to your resumé.

If you have questions about mentoring or would like further details about what’s involved, contact me for more information—I’ll be happy to chat.