Microsoft

Qualtrics

Univesity College London

Rachel Slater

engineer  •  therapist  •   founder

Big Tech to Therapy: A Candid Q&A

Former Senior SWE @ Microsoft 〰️  Licensed Therapist @ Big Feelings Therapy

Get a practical overview of school, licensure, clinical hours, private practice setup, and realistic timelines.

The actual path from tech to therapy

Hear an honest reflection on what felt energizing, hard, surprising, and worth it about the career switch.

What it’s really like from the other side

Ask about money, school, timing, identity, fear, and burnout to help figure out whether this path  makes sense for you.

Bring your real questions

Learn to craft and deliver compelling stories that highlight your technical skills and leadership experience to excel in big tech interviews

Principal at BigTech with 18+ YOE

Prasad Rao

Principal Solutions Architect | Co-founder, BeSA (Become a Solutions Architect)

AI edition

AI edition 2

Work with an expert interview coach to build stories across all 8 behavioral themes, then pressure-test them in mock interviews.-- -- --You're a skilled professional who KNOWS you have what it takes to work at big tech. But you haven't cracked those interviews yet.You're impacted by:→ Interview anxiety→ Stories without structure→ Not knowing expectations→ Blanking during behavioral questionsThe fix is a story bank: 8 to 12 prepared stories that cover every theme a Big Tech interviewer can ask about, practised until they're second nature.BY THE END OF 4 WEEKS YOU'LL HAVE<ul><li>8 to 12 stories across all 8 behavioral themes: customer focus, success, failure, conflict, problem-solving, learning and growth, leadership, and time management</li><li>Every story in STAR format with senior-level depth, so you get hired at the right level</li><li>Technical wins told as business impact and leadership stories that show ownership</li><li>A practised "tell me about yourself" and confident delivery: voice, pacing, body language</li><li>A Big Tech-ready resume that clears ATS and the recruiter screen</li><li>Access to a custom AI tool for building and rehearsing your stories between sessions This is not a DSA or System Design interview prep course</li></ul>

8 themes, 8 to 12 stories, one playbook that works in every Big Tech interview

Build your story bank across all 8 behavioral themes

Deliver STAR responses with senior-level depth

Craft stories that land: technical wins, leadership, failure, and conflict

Craft a Big Tech-ready resume that gets you noticed

Pressure-test your stories in live mock interviews

Rehearse anytime with a custom AI tool built for behavioral interviews

Tech ICs and leaders targeting their first Big Tech role

Strong performers who freeze or ramble when asked "tell me about a time when..."

Senior ICs and managers who want the $300K+ role at the right level, not a down-level offer

When "successful on paper" stops feeling like enough.

Senior SWE @ MSFT & Licensed Therapist

Senior Software Engineer @ Microsoft | Licensed Therapist

AI Advisor, Leadership Coach, ex-MSFT

Techstars

Air France

Siemens

Co-Active Training Institute

Oumaima Talouka

AI Advisor & Leadership Coach | Director @ The AI Collective | Ex-Microsoft

Cohort 1

Cohort 2

You know the feeling. You've built solid experience and delivered results, yet something's off.The imposter voice keeps you playing small (louder than ever as AI reshapes what “valuable” means). Burnout drains your energy. The quiet plateau begins to feel less like stability, more like drift.You're not broken. You're navigating a market that shifted under your feet. Whether you're in transition, pushing for promotion, or tired of feeling stuck amid layoffs &amp; change, the old advice falls flat.That's why this 4-hour Career Lab exists. No fluffy motivation: a hands-on space for 2026 realities. We dig into what's holding you back, clear the noise &amp; fears, and help you see new possibilities.You'll audit what drains you vs. what lights you up, uncover your unfair advantage, craft an authentic narrative that opens doors, &amp; design experiments you can start tomorrow.By the end, the fog lifts. You leave with a concrete unstuck plan &amp; the edge that makes you stand out.Corporate professionals love the real traction. Those in transition love that it's honest &amp; doable when the market feels brutal.Spots are limited. If you're ready to stop spinning &amp; start moving forward, this is your entry point.

You've got the "perfect on paper" 9-5 job. But you're restless, stuck, and quietly done playing a role you've outgrown.

You're navigating a layoff, a career gap, or a pivot, and you're done waiting for clarity to magically arrive.

You've watched AI reshape the world of work. You're ready to get clear, get strategic, and take control of your next career move.

Master self-advocacy to authentically communicate your value. Confidently plan for the promotions, money, and job satisfaction you deserve!

Author | Coach | Data Executive

Strava

Komodo Health

Salesforce

Fitbit

Prezi

Shailvi Wakhlu

Best-selling author on Self-Advocacy | Data leader at Meta | Coach to 500+

Summer'26

Fall'26

In tech, career growth isn’t just about doing great work. Promotions, raises, and opportunities go to people who can clearly connect their work to impact at the right moments. Most professionals are never taught how to do this, especially in a way that feels authentic rather than awkward or political.This course helps you change that.You’ll stop hoping your impact gets noticed, second-guessing yourself in career conversations, and scrambling when promotion or compensation discussions come up.You’ll start using clear frameworks, specific language, and intentional plans to advocate before decisions are made, not after. You’ll learn exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to say it so your value is understood by decision-makers.What makes this course different is its practical, applied focus. There’s no vague advice like “be more visible.” You’ll practice live, role-play real scenarios, use scripts and templates, and leave with a custom self-advocacy plan you can immediately apply to promotions, compensation, and role growth.Self-advocacy isn’t self-promotion. It’s how you take ownership of your career trajectory: consistently and confidently.

Great work isn’t enough! Self-advocacy is what turns effort into career growth.

Advocate for your impact with clarity and credibility

Plan and land promotions intentionally

Navigate compensation conversations with confidence

Advocate consistently, not just in high-stakes moments

Overcome personal barriers to self-advocacy

Create a personalized self-advocacy plan

Mid-career tech professionals looking to own their career growth, including members of underrepresented groups that lack supportive mentors

Anyone ready to create a plan to get promoted, be acknowledged for their work, get better work opportunities, or prioritize job satisfaction

Those who struggle to position themselves for success at work, due to underconfidence, introversion, shyness, fear, anxiety, or ineloquence

Tactics get you started. Mindset and science get you unstuck.

Solutions Consultant | Pivot Strategist

Inter-American Dialogue

FinDev Canada

Valsoft Corporation

McGill University

Ivana Wang

Career strategist, 4 pivots across 4 industries, tripled salary landing in AI

Tech Leader | Career Mentor

Apple

Intuit

Logitech

Nora Michalski

Silicon Valley mentor helping high-achievers move from stuck to strategic

Tech Leader | Career & Mindset Coach

Slalom

UC Berkeley

Ryan McNeely

Tech founder, 15+ yrs Silicon Valley, blends ancient wisdom with career strategy

Most career workshops give you a system and send you home. You take notes, feel motivated, open your laptop the next day, and then something stops you. The message goes unsent. The follow-up never happens. The momentum disappears.That gap between knowing and doing is not a tactics problem. It never was.This workshop covers three layers that every other career program treats separately, if at all. Ivana Wang opens with the GPS System: a proven networking methodology that gets tech professionals into the hidden job market through strategic outreach, not job boards. Ryan McNeely goes deeper with the mindset layer most career programs skip, drawing on decades of study in ancient wisdom and human performance. Kevin Jaimes closes with the science: a quantum mechanics framework that explains, with mathematical rigor, why your mental state directly shapes the opportunities you attract.Three instructors. Three disciplines. One complete system for unlocking the career you have been building toward.

Go from avoiding outreach to executing a system built around how you actually think and communicate.

Master the art of strategic networking and meaningful outreach

Master the inner resilience that makes your strategy sustainable

Master the science behind growth, setbacks, and lasting career success

Tech professionals who have been applying for months with little to show for it and know networking is the answer but not where to start.

Tech professionals planning a career pivot who want to access opportunities before they are ever posted publicly.

Introverted tech professionals who have tried networking, felt drained and awkward, and quietly concluded it just is not for them.

Agentic AI

Coding with AI

AI Workflows

Claude Code

OpenClaw

Vibe Coding

AI Evals

AI Transformation

RAG & Search

AI for PMs

AI for Engineers

AI for Designers

AI for Marketers

AI for Founders

Product Sense

Product Discovery

User Research

Prototyping

Growth

Analytics

Tech Foundations

Strategy

Influence

Leadership

Career Growth

Machine Learning

LLM Ops

Context Eng

Security

System Design

Figma

Design Systems

Visual Design

Design Strategy

Automation

Content Marketing

Demand Gen

Go-to-Market

Product Marketing

Positioning

Social Media

Brand

B2B Marketing

SEO & AEO

AI for Leaders

AI Governance

Communication

Management

People Operations

Exec Presence

Storytelling

Goal-setting

Personal Brand

Fundraising

Everyone

Operators

Data Scientists

Business Analysts

User Researchers

Customer Success

Project Managers

HR Professionals

Sales People

Lawyers

Finance

Investors

Real Estate

Educators

Creators

Broad professional audience — content relevant across many roles and functions.

Getting promoted, navigating job transitions, and advancing to the next level in your career.

Big Tech to Therapy: A Candid Q&A

What you'll learn

Why this topic matters

You'll learn from

Rachel Slater