There are all sorts of programs run in large companies these days to help people get through the working year, salary negotiation, conflict resolution and plain old peer support. They can be structured or informal but they are always there. No matter where I work, I set up a network inside and outside of work to make sure that there is a person to vent to; a person to bounce creative ideas off; someone to suggest how to resolve road blocks; etc..
Everyone needs some kind of support network in all aspects of their life. In this case, I am directly referring to the work place. Your job is something that you spend a whole lot of waking hours doing, so you have to make sure you do all that is in your power to make it a good experience. You'll notice I did not say "tolerable experience" because I don't think you should do a job that you don't like. If it is painful then fix it or leave it. Find a place you like to work and keep it that way. Making work a rewarding and enjoyable place to do is part of your full time job. Work at it. Work at doing the actual job well but also work on your relationships, your brand, your reputation and your purpose. It takes effort to do anything well. Make that effort enjoyable by finding a gang to help you negotiate the professional maze.
I would like to offer to be in the network of someone starting out as a software engineer. It doesn't matter how much experience you have or even if we are in the same technology. Female or male - it doesn't matter to me if it doesn't matter to you. If you are in Sydney and would like to build a graph of people who will help you out professionally then please contact me. I mean this on a one to one level.
What do I get out of it? I get to help out someone starting in the same way that so many great professionals stopped and helped me in my early career. I do this for a lot of younger people I have worked with and am sure that they would be happy to be references for me.
Let's start with a conversation about where you are going or where you want to be.
Contact me here by commenting on my blog or @damana on twitter.
