WEST is a mentorship community for women and nonbinary software engineers. Founded by a woman engineer, for women engineers, WEST is an independent platform that connects women with a knowledgeable mentor based on their development goals. Find your mentor today.
Mentorship Programs
Helping women fast track towards the career of their dreams.
Take control of your career.
If you are excited to make a positive impact and reach your full potential -
you’ve come to the right place.
WEST offers two mentorship programs for our community:
The Six Month 1:1 Mentorship matches mentees with a knowledgeable mentor based on their development goals and areas of expertise. Mentoring matches meet for about 1 hr/month, and are provided with a mentoring guidebook and additional resources to help you maximize your time with your mentor.
The WEST Career Accelerator is a 6-month learning program that combines 1:1 mentorship and group-based career coaching to help women define success on their own terms. Gain clarity, save time, and grow your confidence. We are here to help you create a path towards a career that you love.
““I was a very new manager when I did the WEST program. From the program, I gained a lot of confidence in myself as a manager and that has really helped me build my career.” ”
Mentoring Topics:
☐ Career Planning
☐ Communications
☐ Influence
☐ Strategic Thinking
☐ Team development
☐ Executive presence
☐ Personal Brand
☐ Managing conflict
☐ Political Savvy
☐ Cross-functional experience
☐ Time management/ delegation
☐ Change management
☐ Business Acumen
☐ Tactical to Strategic Thinking
☐ Entrepreneurial thinking
☐ Setting vision and direction
☐ Diversity & Inclusion
☐ Creative/Innovative Thinking
☐ Shift from tech to business role
☐ Risk-taking
☐ Process Management
☐ Managing up
☐ Project Management
☐ External Networking
☐ Emotional Intelligence
☐ Global Team Experience
☐ Financial Acumen
*As a program participant, you are also encourage to attend our weekly Leadership Talks hosted by industry leaders or help suggest topic ideas!
Meet our Mentors
Career Accelerator Program Overview
The WEST Career Accelerator is a 6-month learning program that combines 1:1 mentorship and group-based career coaching to help women define success on their own terms. Gain clarity, save time, and grow your confidence. We are here to help you create a path towards a career that you love!
Career Accelerator Application Eligibility:
Q: Who is this program best suited for?
A: The Career Accelerator is best suited for women and nonbinary engineers, data scientists, product managers, designers, etc who have been in the tech industry for at least 2 years and have a few development areas they want to focus on with an industry mentor.
Q: Do you offer tech mentorship?
A: While a WEST mentor might be able to offer tech mentoring, this is not a focus of the Career Accelerator program, as our primary focus is supporting soft skills development.
Q: What is the time investment for the program each month?
A: Our mentees share that the more you put into the program, the more you get out of it! We recommend about 1 hr for your 1:1 mentoring session, 1 hr for the career workshops, and 1-2 hrs to review learnings from your mentor.
Q: How do we source WEST mentors?
A: Our mentors come recommended by WEST sponsors as well as by the broader network of the WEST team and advisory board. They are industry leaders in technical roles who are mid- to late-career. Generally these mentors are excited to partner with us because they have benefitted from mentorship themselves and want to give back, or wish they had access to mentorship earlier in their careers.
Q: How much does the program cost?
A: The Career Accelerator is $1,245 for the six-month program. To broaden access to mentorship for women technologists, we offer group discounts when you register with friends and colleagues. Please reach out for more details.
Q: Could I get this program reimbursed at work?
A: Many companies have a professional development budget available for employees. We encourage you to ask your manager to support your career development through WEST! Here’s an email template that might be useful in discussing the Career Accelerator with your manager.
Q: My company does not offer a learning stipend. Are there any scholarships available?
A: Yes! Scholarships are available for women facing financial barriers for the program.
Q: What if I have more questions?
A: Please schedule a free info session here - we are happy to answer all of your questions!
Our mentors and mentees are from:
