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Stefan A.

Software engineer, Infrastructure engineer, Staff software engineer
United States
5.0 (3 reviews)
3 clients
Back iconBack to other coaches
Profile picture for Stefan A.

Stefan A.

Credits2 credits per 1h session
Software engineer, Infrastructure engineer, Staff software engineer
United States
5.0 (3 reviews)
3 clients
About

Principal firmware architect. 15+ years at Microsoft and Apple. I help senior engineers break into staff and architect roles, thrive once they get there, and build careers that are genuinely more fulfilling, not just higher-paid. I coach on interview prep, promotion strategy, and the shift from strong IC to technical leader.

Briefcase
Resume
Principal System Software Architect
Microsoft
Interviewer
Oct 2024 - Present · 1 yr 10 mos
Seattle, United States
SW/FW Architect
Apple
Interviewer
Feb 2023 - Oct 2024 · 1 yr 8 mos
Seattle, United States
Senior Software / Firmware Architect
Microsoft
Interviewer
Sep 2012 - Feb 2023 · 10 yrs 5 mos
Seattle, United States
Two hands shakingServices
Get the job
Interview coaching Interview coaching

I've interviewed over 100 candidates over my career at Microsoft and Apple, across software engineering, firmware, and architecture roles, from senior IC to staff and principal levels.

I can help you practice behavioral, system design, technical/coding, and architecture-specific interviews. I've helped a client land an offer at a...

Career coaching Career coaching

I've navigated multiple career transitions myself, moving between large tech companies and different teams within them, and evolving from individual contributor to architect-level scope across firmware, hardware, and cloud systems. Each move meant re-proving myself in a new environment and figuring out what actually mattered at the next level.

Now...

Grow at work
Leadership coaching Leadership coaching

My approach starts with digging deep into what's actually going on: naming the real problem, not just the symptoms. Career confusion often comes from several issues and feelings tangled together: a stalled promotion that's really about visibility, or burnout that's really about unclear expectations. We untangle that first, so...

Mentorship Mentorship

I mentor engineers in firmware and systems-level skills: C/C++, embedded and bare-metal development, UEFI, system architecture, and cloud infrastructure. Together, we'll build a personalized learning roadmap based on where you want to go, review your projects and designs with direct feedback, and keep you accountable to actual progress, not...

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Reviews iconReviews
filled starfilled starfilled starfilled starfilled starJul 28, 2026
Raj · QA engineer
Interview coaching · Behavioral mock interview
Stefan was great to work with. Our discussions helped me get to the final rounds at a company that was a completely different domain than I have worked in. I'm still interviewing as I write this review. I'd recommend talking to Stefan if you're in a similar boat.
Arrow pointing to right Stefan replied  •  Jul 28, 2026
Thank you, Raj! Really glad the session helped, especially heading into a domain that was new territory for you. It's been great working with you, and I'm rooting for you through the rest of these final rounds. Wishing you the best of luck!
filled starfilled starfilled starfilled starfilled starJul 12, 2026
Sandesh · Software engineer
Interview coaching · System design mock interview
Stefan was generous with the time and did a brainstorming on the system design question. He gave good insights related to IOT devices and has strong depth in those areas. Recommend him.
Arrow pointing to right Stefan replied  •  Jul 12, 2026
Thanks, Sandesh! I really enjoyed digging into the IoT/telemetry system design with you. Your data infrastructure background gave us a lot to build on, and it showed in how quickly you got into the real tradeoffs. Wishing you the best with your upcoming interviews!
Question markFrequently asked questions
Credits2 credits
Per 1h session