Ferran Buireu – Meet the Mentor

Why did you decide to become a mentor?

The decision to become a formal mentor grew directly out of my experience as a team lead. In that role, I discovered that the most rewarding part of my job wasn't solving the hardest technical problem myself, but empowering my team members to solve it and watching them grow. When I transitioned into my current senior role, I still had exciting technical challenges, but I genuinely missed that deep sense of fulfillment that comes from helping others advance in their careers. I had been informally helping people for years on platforms like Stack Overflow, but I wanted to build more sustained, impactful relationships, so signing up to mentor felt like the natural next step. Honestly, my initial expectation was that mentoring would be a fairly one-way transfer of information; I thought I’d mostly just be answering technical questions. The reality has been a much richer, two-way exchange. I’ve been amazed at how much it has accelerated my own growth, forcing me to become a clearer communicator and a more empathetic leader. Having to explain complex topics solidifies my own understanding and keeps my skills sharp. It has added a profound layer of purpose to my career, reminding me that our greatest impact often comes from the success we help cultivate in others.

How did you get your career start?

My career didn't start in a typical way. Over a decade ago, I made the switch from Geology to the software industry. I had started programming using Python and MATLAB to analyze data for my geology work, and I quickly realized that building the tools was the part of the job I loved the most. A defining moment that truly shaped my path happened not long after. A junior developer hired me for a single session to help him with a take-home interview test. His initial code had some fundamental issues, so instead of just fixing it for him, we decided to rebuild it together from scratch. I acted as his guide, explaining the architectural principles and best practices, while he drove the development and wrote the code.

What do mentees usually come to you for?

Mentees come to me for a wide variety of reasons, so my first step is always to understand their unique situation, both personally and professionally. I try to meet them where they are. Is this someone looking for focused help on a side project, or are they looking to build a long-term career plan? How much time can they realistically dedicate each week? What's their current technical level, and in which languages? Getting this context right is everything. Once I have that picture, I can tailor my support. Often, a mentee has solid technical skills but struggles with confidence or communication, and that's what's holding them back in interviews or promotions. Other times, the challenge is purely technical, and we'll dive deep into code, architecture, or a specific technology. My goal is to identify the real bottleneck in their growth and provide the specific kind of support—whether it's strategic guidance, technical coaching, or just being a sounding board—that will make the biggest impact for them.

What's been your favourite mentorship success story so far?

The story that always comes to mind is about my first real long-term mentee, the one I explained before. He first booked a call with me in a bit of a panic over a take-home interview test. To be blunt, his first attempt wasn't going to get him the job; it was clear he was stuck and just needed some guidance. So, instead of just listing out the errors, I suggested we start over from scratch. I told him, "You're in the driver's seat, you write the code. I'll just be here to talk you through the 'why' behind the structure and the decisions we're making as we go." We ended up having a great, collaborative session, and the new version was a thousand times better. And it worked. He not only got the job, but he stuck with me, and that's where the real story is. Watching that same person go from being a nervous junior developer to a confident, capable Senior Engineer in just two years was just incredible. It’s my favorite story because it's a perfect example of what I believe mentoring is all about: it’s not about giving someone the answers, it’s about helping them build the confidence to find the answers themselves.

What are you getting out of being a mentor?

It might sound like a cliché, but I genuinely feel I get as much out of mentoring as my mentees do. On a professional level, it’s a constant source of fresh perspective. When you explain a complex concept to someone seeing it for the first time, you're forced to question your own assumptions and simplify. That process of breaking things down not only makes me a better communicator but also keeps my own technical skills incredibly sharp—there's no better way to master a topic than to teach it. But beyond the career benefits, the biggest thing I get out of it is a real sense of fulfillment and connection. The tech world can sometimes feel a bit transactional, but mentoring is all about the human element. Being a trusted part of someone's journey, seeing their confidence grow, and then getting that message saying they’ve landed their dream job or shipped a project they were struggling with—that's an incredible feeling. It adds a layer of purpose to my professional life that goes way beyond just writing code.