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Cover image for How to Fix Tech's Mentorship Problem w/ Amex's VP of Technology, Sarvenaz Myslicki
Conor Bronsdon for LinearB

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at devinterrupted.com

How to Fix Tech's Mentorship Problem w/ Amex's VP of Technology, Sarvenaz Myslicki

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If you looked up the term “firing on all cylinders” in the dictionary, I’m fairly confident there would be a picture of Sarvenaz Myslicki next to it.

A next-gen leader who earned the role of VP of Technology at American Express by the age of 30, Savernaz is a published author, an in-demand thought-leader on mentorship and has one of the largest followings on programmer TikTok.

Our favorite thing about Sarvenaz, though, is that all her work is aspirational but radically inclusive. She tailors her message, content and guidance based on wherever someone is in their professional journey – even if they’re just tinkering with code in a junior high classroom.

Sarvenaz joined us and 1700 other engineering leaders for an incredible live conversation at our INTERACT conference about the real trial and errors that have led to her role at Amex, as well as the beliefs, mindset and rituals that have allowed her to become a mentor for developers she’s never met.

Episode Highlights Include:

  • (4:30) Sarvenaz's team at AMEX
  • (14:46) How to launch yourself from junior dev to senior dev
  • (18:18) Why she never commits to an aggressive deadline
  • (22:54) Personal productivity & habits
  • (45:20) TikTok & mentorship, an unexpected perfect pairing
  • (50:00) Maintaining success without making enemies
  • (51:13) Contributing good ideas when you’re shy by nature

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Dev Interrupted features expert guests from around the world to explore strategy and day-to-day topics ranging from dev team metrics to accelerating delivery. With new guests every week from Google to small startups, the Dev Interrupted Podcast is a fresh look at the world of software engineering and engineering management.

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Top comments (1)

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nobilitypnw profile image
NOBILITYPNW

Love that she has actionable advice for folks and not just platitudes. Really amazing talent. If she's not already on the 40 Under 40 list I'm sure she will be!