Announcing the Business4s Mentorship Program

I’m excited to announce the launch of a new mentorship program dedicated to Scala engineers. It is free, open to engineers of all levels, and part of the Business4s initiative.

Business4s aims to bridge the gap between Scala and the broader business world. For this mentorship program, it means putting equal emphasis on Scala and all other aspects of software engineering.

What Can We Work On Together?

The scope is broad: any flavour of Scala, any area of software engineering.

We can dive into personal projects, whether it’s an open-source initiative or a startup idea, and discuss not just the tech stack, but also product decisions or ideas viability. We can tackle work-related challenges — technical, organisational, or career-related. Even senior leaders, such as staff+ engineers, can use this opportunity to talk with a fellow peer.

If you’re learning Scala, want to improve your software engineering practices, refine your soft skills, or step-up your career, this is the place. We can also talk about public speaking, from generating talk ideas to practicing delivery.

How Does It Work?

First, you bring a goal or problem. Having a goal makes the time worthwhile, whether it’s something you want to learn or an issue you want to solve.

Then you select one of two paths:

Path 1: Regular Guidance

• 30-Minute Check-In Every 2 Weeks: We’ll aim to meet for a quick sync at least every other week.
• Dedicated Chat Space: You’ll have access to a private Discord chat where we can discuss things as they come up.
• Three-Month Run: Three months seems like a good period to get some real work done, but we can adapt based on how things go.
• Six Slots: There are currently six slots available for this path, allowing me to focus on providing quality guidance to each participant.

Path 2: Ad-Hoc Sessions

• One-Off Sessions: If you have a specific issue or idea you want to discuss, we can arrange a one-off session with possible followups if needed.
• Flexible Timing: These sessions are flexible and scheduled based on availability.
• No Long-Term Commitment: Ideal for quick feedback or brainstorming without committing to a longer mentorship period.

Why Me?

Why do I feel competent to offer this?

I’ve spent over a decade in professional Scala, and today mentoring is part of my day-to-day job. I’ve touched just about every mainstream tool in the Scala ecosystem, worked with a wide variety of talented individuals, and throughout my career assisted not just engineers but also engineering managers and product folks. I don’t specialise in any one area, but I have a solid understanding of distributed systems, significant experience with pure functional programming, a product-oriented mindset, and a strong sensitivity to the psychological and human aspects of software engineering.

While I definitely don’t have all the answers and there are many people much smarter than me, the likelihood of me giving you strictly bad advice should be relatively low. Having said that, I probably won’t be able to help with macros or low-level performance optimisations. Those two fall outside my area of expertise and interest.

My Motivation

Why have I decided to share my time for free? What’s the catch?

I’m starting this initiative because I really like helping others and seeing them succeed. I enjoy meeting new people, tackling new challenges, and learning from different perspectives. Over the years, I’ve gained a lot from networking, building connections, and having friends in the community, so I definitely want to continue making those friends. I’m passionate about seeing Scala grow, and I believe that direct support can really make a difference. Last but not least, I believe that face-to-face communication is a much more effective and natural way of solving problems than impersonal offline messages.

How To Apply?

If this resonates with you, feel free to apply here. I will review the applications and respond with the followup steps. If you have any questions, you can find me on X and our Discord. I’m always happy to talk.

Let’s make Scala stronger, one conversation at a time.

P.S. If you would like to join as a mentor, that would be awesome. The more the merrier. Just drop me a message!