Career mentoring
One-to-one career mentoring from a senior technology leader.
I work with technology professionals at points of transition: starting out, switching careers into the industry, returning after time away, or stepping up into a more senior role. Engagements are arranged privately or through your employer.
Who this is for
Starting, switching, returning, or stepping up.
Mentees come from four broad places. People moving into tech from another career and trying to land a first role. People early on the job, working out what good looks like. People returning after a break and rebuilding confidence with what has changed. People already in the industry preparing for a step up: into more senior technical roles, team leadership, or first-time management. The brief is the same in all four cases: turn vague worry into a clear next step.
Working out what to focus on next
What to learn, what to stop learning, what kind of role to aim at. There is too much advice out there and most of it is generic. We narrow it down to what actually matters for the job you want.
Translating non-traditional experience
If you are coming from a different industry or career, the hardest part is usually describing what you can already do in language the tech sector recognises. CV review, portfolio framing, and how to talk about transferable experience without selling yourself short.
Preparing for interviews and applications
Mock interview questions, how to handle the awkward bits (salary, gaps, switching careers), and how to read between the lines on a job spec.
Navigating the first few years on the job
How to ask for feedback, when to push back, how to read the room in a team, when to move on. The things nobody tells you in the bootcamp or the degree.
How an engagement works
A block of sessions, shaped around what you are working out.
Engagements run as a block of monthly sessions, typically over three to six months. Sessions are 50 minutes, by video, scheduled around you.
Practice
Some of my work is unpaid, through programmes I am proud to support.
Alongside paid engagements, I mentor through Code Your Future and the Reed Women in Technology programme. Doing this work consistently is what keeps the practice sharp. It also means the conversations you would have in a paid engagement are not the first ones I have had on the topic.
Code Your Future
A non-profit training refugees, asylum seekers and disadvantaged people to become software developers. I mentor trainees through the programme and into their first roles.
codeyourfuture.io ↗
Reed Women in Technology
The Reed Women in Technology mentoring programme pairs women across the UK tech industry with senior mentors, from early career through to leadership. I have been a mentor on the programme since it launched.
Visit the programme ↗
Associate Certified Mentor, Guider
Accredited through the Guider mentoring framework as an Associate Certified Mentor. The accreditation matters less than the conversations, but it is there if you want the formal version.
In their words
What past mentees have said about working together.
Aida Eslamimoghadam, Software DeveloperMike is an amazing mentor for my career journey and future growth. He has helped me plan everything from the basics, both in my learning path and career development. His guidance has been very valuable, and he has always supported me throughout the process.
What I really appreciate is the way he explains things clearly and helps me understand different perspectives and opportunities. His advice and guidance have helped me grow both professionally and personally.
Mike is very organised, supportive, and encouraging. He always shares his experiences and practical advice, which has helped me a lot. I continue to learn so much from him, and I truly appreciate his ongoing support and mentorship.
Pezhman Azizi, Code Your Future menteeA huge thank you to Mike Fraser, my career mentor from Code Your Future, who has honestly been one of the most important people in this journey. Mike supported me far beyond just career advice, he consistently gave me direction, motivation, and confidence when I needed it most.
He helped me stay focused, pushed me to believe in myself, and guided me through the job process with patience and honesty. Having a mentor like him made a real difference, and I'm genuinely grateful for his support.
Enquire
Contact Mike about a mentoring engagement.
Whether you are paying for yourself or arranging this through your employer, the first step is a short scoping call. Tell me where you are, what you are trying to work out, and whether the engagement would be self-funded or sponsored. I will come back with a clear shape and a clear price.
The scoping call itself costs nothing.