DEVELOPER.COACH
Why Career Coaching?
Software engineering is a great career path.
But, sometimes you get stuck on your way to the next level.
😶🌫️ Vague performance reviews
🤷♂️ Unclear expectations
🧊 Promotion freezes
😡 Lack of career guidance
📈 No growth opportunities
All of these make it difficult to grow.
I've gone through all of these challenges and found how to overcome them.
I now help other software engineering professionals, just like you, do the same.
Who Am I?
Hey there! 👋
I'm Yakov - career coach for software developers, architects, and other software engineering professionals.
I am also an independent software architect running my own consultancy (CloudWay Digital) where I help software engineering teams build software products to be proud of.
I've worked in software development for almost 20 years across many organizations, teams, and countless projects.
Like many in this field, my career started as a junior software developer.
Though from a very early point, I had a strong interest in career growth. I took notice of how others were being promoted, sought advice from them, and carefully noted what worked and what didn't.
Throughout my career I've grown from one role to another:
⬆️ Intermediate Software Developer
⬆️ Senior Software Developer
⬆️ Tech Lead
⬆️ Technology Architect (Technical, Solutions, Enterprise, Cloud, Software)
I've also been a Principal Software Engineer and Technical Director.
Throughout that whole time, many other software engineering professionals came to me for advice and guidance on career development.
That made me realize, very early on, that mentoring, coaching, and guiding others is something that I love and something that, judging from the feedback of those I've helped, I am quite good at.
I know firsthand of the challenges, doubts, and let's face it - all of the corporate nonsense, that you are facing as a software engineering professional seeking to advance in your career.
So I've decided to put my knowledge and experience out here for those of you who are serious about your career development.
If you are a software engineering/development professional who needs help with any of the following - book a call with me through the form below and let's explore how I can help you.
Please note that I currently only work with individuals who have 5 or more years of experience in software engineering or a related field.
Career Advancement in Software Engineering
Career Pivot
In Tech
Work/Life Balance
Some of the Organizations I've Helped
"Yakov was instrumental in establishing and introducing invaluable industry best practices and cloud technologies to our team."
Keith Oxby
Program Manager
Bell
"Yakov did an amazing job at educating our team in the usage of Serverless technologies with AWS!"
Francis K,
Head of Engineering
Amdocs
Social Proof
I had the privilege of having Yakov as my software engineering mentor. I was trying to grow as an engineer (senior, then staff) but sometimes struggled to find a path forward.
He offered a lot of advice on how to improve my technical skills so as to rise up the engineering career ladder. I was also very interested in software architecture, but was quite new to the field.
He helped me reason through all the architecture decisions I made, providing constructive criticism and suggesting areas for improvement.
I am grateful for the guidance and support he provided and would highly recommend him as a mentor to anyone looking to level up their engineering skills.
Aseel Al-Dallal
Senior Software Engineer
Clearco
Yakov has a combination of factors that make him my go-to person for career advice/insights: years of experience, deep technical knowledge, and deep organizational knowledge. From experience, I can say that there’s a fine balance between the way he challenges a person’s stance when needed, and the way he’ll provide support, or offer a different way to see things.
Many Software Engineers strive for more in their careers (sometimes for a higher income, sometimes for more knowledge, sometimes because they cannot figure out what the next goal-post should be, and sometimes for a promotion). If you're looking to really upgrade yourself as a Software Engineer, his career coaching is something to look into.
Yakov coaches through experience, and because he’s a great listener on top of all of his individual skills, the ideas and advice that he gives ends up becoming great ones. His coaching has helped me to increase compensation and get promoted. In my new startup, he’s also helped me to consider multiple strategic aspects that I had not thought about as well.
I 100% recommend that those who want to further their career in Software Engineering, either as ICs or within Management, to get in contact with Yakov.
Mike Kang
CEO
LaunchUp
In my early career I was always putting the pedal to the metal, but Yakov helped me put the rubber on the road.
Metaphors aside, Yakov’s guidance allowed me to succeed and grow through situations that tested both my technical and interpersonal skills.
He helped me to not only navigate difficult situations, but to also develop a mental framework so that I could make the most of adversity.
These skills allowed me to pair the determination I always had with direction, and was an essential part of taking my career from start up to Google.
Jeremy Crowe
Software Engineer
It is a pleasure working with Yakov. After over 15 years in the industry, I felt I needed some guidance and mentorship to focus and get the most out of the second half of my career.
Yakov's insights were extremely valuable - he is a keen listener with a breadth of experience across industries and companies sizes.
He is able to identify meaningful actions you can take within your existing workplace so that you can better steer your career and achieve the growth goals you set out for yourself. I would highly recommend Yakov to anyone who is looking to gain some perspective and momentum on their career.
Gratus Devanesan
Senior Software Engineer
AcuityMD
Yakov is an excellent mentor and I’m so thankful for the chance to work and learn from him. He has helped me identify my career goals, map out the development path and taught me so much on effective communication.
His guidance on handling various situations have been really helpful for my development, allowing me to find my voice and assert my ideas confidently within our team. His advice is also specific and actionable so it is easy for me to remember and apply.
By sharing his own experience and the challenges he faced along his own career path, Yakov encouraged me to realize my skills and be more confident in my contribution within the team.
Trang Lam
Full-Stack Software Engineer
Symcor
Yakov has helped me tremendously in growing my career as a Full Stack Developer over the last few years.
Under his guidance, I've been able to build a solid understanding of the latest and greatest in TS/Node.js/React and work at a few Fortune 500s.
If you're a software engineer looking to grow your career, I highly recommend sitting down for a chat with Yakov!
I recently had the opportunity to work with Yakov as my career coach, and it was a highly impactful experience.
As a staff+ engineer, I sought a more strategic approach to my career, moving beyond the opportunities that just happened to come my way. Yakov provided clear insights on strategic planning and effective tactics for execution.
His guidance through the interview process was particularly invaluable, boosting my confidence and preparation. Yakov's personalized approach and deep industry knowledge have made a significant impact on my career. I highly recommend his coaching to any software engineering professional looking to advance their career.
Chris McCann
Data Architect
I had the opportunity to begin working with Yakov at a pivotal point in my career; I had recently taken on the role of software engineering Technical Lead at a new company. This role required that I expand on my experience leading the implementation of software systems to now designing these systems around uncertain business requirements and anticipated user growth of a much larger scale. In other words, my new role required that I embrace many responsibilities of the software architect.
Yakov’s mentorship and dedication to my success had an immensely positive impact not only on my performance in this role but on my overall career trajectory. Within this role, Yakov has guided me in developing invaluable technical and interpersonal skills that have allowed me to confidently align with stakeholders on the needs of the business and deliver scalable and flexible architectures to fulfill these requirements.
Now, stepping into the role of Software Architect at this organization, I attribute the achievement of this career milestone, in large part, to the guidance and inspiration that Yakov has provided to me as a career coach and an exemplary Software Architect.
Jake Stubbs
Solutions Architect
Symcor
I am delighted to provide my highest recommendation for Yakov as a mentor for individuals aiming to advance their careers in software engineering. As a senior software engineer, I had the privilege of benefiting from Yakov's insightful guidance, which significantly contributed to my readiness to assume higher-level roles such as technical lead and software architect.
Throughout our mentoring sessions, Yakov demonstrated a genuine commitment to my growth and development. He patiently listened to my concerns, provided constructive feedback, and challenged me to think critically about my approach to problem-solving. His ability to create a supportive and nurturing environment fostered open communication and encouraged me to actively engage in my professional development journey.
Yakov's mentorship has undoubtedly been a catalyst for my professional growth, positioning me as a more effective and adaptable member of my organization's technical team. His expertise, mentorship, and unwavering support are invaluable assets for anyone aspiring to excel in software engineering.
Maneesh M S
Senior Software Developer / Technical Lead
Symcor
