David Kaplita

Lead Senior Software Engineer at IBM working 10 years in the cryptography and financial security industry. My career has spanned between Quality Assurance lead, to Senior Development and now as an Architect/Team Lead.

I have mentees who are starting out in the industry to those who are technical team leads. Each stage of your career will present a different set of challenges. A good mentor will show you the clearest path through those challenges (as well as the results of the bad paths). The goal is to make sure you succeed in the least amount of hiccups :). I can tailor your mentorship plan to suit your needs but also consider the following topics.

1. Your Career Growth Trajectory - Should you have a long career at [insert company] or make a switch? What do you need to get to that next level? How to start a career as a software engineer? A crystal ball would be nice to have here. The next best thing is to have a roadmap of goals, direction for success, and regular accountability meetings with course correction.

2. Software Engineer Fundamentals - Essential to every programmer. Fundamental implies "basic" but we all know that what we do is far from it. Let's look at your code or discuss high level concepts.

3. Navigating the Work Environment - You are part of a team or even leading a team. Inevitably you will come across conflicting personalities or combative employees. How can we disarm the situation and leverage to our advantage? This is very important for success as a team lead. I can share some of my stories over the years and what led me to the leadership fast path.