Mentoring for Experienced Software Developers
I help experienced developers who want to think through where to take their careers next or prepare for a role with greater responsibility.
In one-to-one mentoring, we work on your goals and real situations you face at work. I'll help you set priorities, create a realistic plan, and develop the skills you'll need to move forward. I draw on my experience in software development, architecture, and leading teams.
How Does Mentoring Work?
We start with a free introductory consultation. We'll discuss your situation and goals and see whether mentoring could be useful for you. If so, I'll recommend a suitable package. You decide whether you'd like to continue.
Sessions then take place online or in person in Prague. Each session usually lasts an hour.
In each session, we discuss what's changed since the last one, what you need to work on, and how to move forward. You'll leave with specific steps you can try at work. If you need to discuss something or ask for clarification, you can also message me between sessions.
What's Included?
The number of sessions and the support available between them depend on the selected package.
You'll also get access to the Client Zone. There you'll find materials to support your development, summaries of our sessions, and the option to book future sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is mentoring different from coaching, consulting or therapy?
Mentoring: It's a collaboration focused on your professional development, where we work through real situations, I share my experience and offer recommendations. You still make the decisions about your next steps.
Coaching: A coach typically helps you find your own answers, mainly through questions and reflection. In mentoring, I also share what's worked for me and explain how I would approach a similar situation.
Consulting: A consultant usually focuses on a specific problem and proposes or prepares an expert solution for the client. In mentoring, we may also work directly on a real workplace problem, but the main goal is to develop your abilities, not to take over your work or deliver solutions to your employer.
Therapy: Therapy primarily focuses on mental health and personal difficulties. Mentoring deals with professional development and situations at work, so it isn't a substitute for psychological care or psychotherapy.
Can we meet in person?
Yes. We can meet in Prague, usually at a café or while taking a walk. It depends on the topic and what works for both of us.
We can combine online and in-person sessions as needed.
Are our sessions recorded?
Only if we agree to it beforehand. A recording can be useful when you want to revisit an explanation or recommendation later.
If we record a session, you'll find the recording in the Client Zone. Recording isn't a requirement for us to work together.
Can I contact you between sessions?
Yes. Support between sessions is included in every package. You can message me if you need to clarify something, ask about a smaller problem or discuss a situation that's come up at work.
With Lite, I normally respond within 48 hours; with Core, within 24 hours. In Elite, your messages receive the highest priority and I aim to respond as quickly as my availability allows.
If something needs a longer discussion, we'll arrange to work through it during a session.
What's the difference between Lite, Core and Elite?
Lite focuses mainly on clarifying your career direction and building a development plan. With Core, we also work systematically on the skills you'll need in your next role and put them into practice. Elite offers much more intensive cooperation, including direct support when you're dealing with demanding situations at work.
The packages also differ in the number of sessions, typical duration and support between sessions. You'll find the details, prices and practical examples on the Mentoring Packages.
You don't have to choose a package in advance. After the introductory consultation, I'll recommend the one I believe best fits your situation.
Do I pay for mentoring upfront? Can I pay in instalments?
The introductory consultation is free and comes with no obligation.
If we agree to work together, you pay for the full mentoring package before our first paid session. I don't currently offer instalments.
What if I need to reschedule or cancel a session?
Let me know at least 24 hours before the agreed time and we can reschedule or cancel it.
If you cancel later or don't attend, the session counts as completed under the current terms.
Want a more concrete idea of how mentoring works?
If you'd like to see the kinds of situations and topics we might work with, you can explore two further resources.
Petr's Journey
A fictional story about an experienced developer who wants to move into software architecture. It shows examples of the situations, questions and decisions we might work through in mentoring.
It isn't the story of a real client or evidence of the results of any particular mentoring engagement.
Mentoring Framework Preview
You can also explore the publicly available topics from the Framework I use in mentoring.
It helps us structure your professional development, but it isn't a fixed course that everyone has to follow in the same order. The public preview also doesn't include all the materials available to clients.