Michelle Brenner
Senior Software Engineer 👩💻 @ Netflix 📺| Speaker 🎙️ | Author 📚 | Mentor 👩🏫
Los Angeles, California, United States
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Michelle is a Senior Software Engineer with 16 years of professional experience. An art school graduate, she started in engineering support and, through self-study, grew into her role at Netflix. She thrives in technical leadership positions, solving unique business challenges with diverse teams. This includes platform infrastructure for fellow engineers, pipelines for VFX artists, and ordering systems for restaurateurs. Michelle is deeply passionate about contributing to the broader tech community, having spoken at over 40+ conferences worldwide, coaching engineers, founders, and VCs, and offering thought leadership through an upcoming book, podcasts, articles, classes, and videos to inspire, educate, and provide a warm welcome into a flourishing community.
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Meet, Greet, Repeat. Networking Skills to Build Real Connections
You could be watching a training video in your pajamas right now, so why did you decide to show up in person? You want more than just information; you want real, lasting connections that can change your career. You’ve heard networking is important, and you’re absolutely right. In a world where AI blurs the lines between what’s real and what’s not, face-to-face connections give you the edge that no online course can. Whether you’re an introvert who’d rather be anywhere else or an extrovert having the time of your life, you’re in the right place. Together, we’ll set your conference goal and change networking from daunting to delightful. How do you keep a conversation going without it fizzling out? How do you escape a chat that’s going nowhere, without being rude? And how do you actually make a connection that lasts longer than today?
We’re going to tackle all of those questions together, and probably a few you didn’t even know you had. You’ll walk away with practical tips for engaging in conversation, making memorable connections, and confidently navigating challenging networking situations. This session is a conference favorite and helps people of all socializing comfort levels with straightforward tactics. You won’t just be listening to me; you'll be enjoying an interactive event where you can immediately practice what you learn. You might even leave with your first new connection. Having a structure to follow will increase your confidence and help you make the most of this and every event.
Leveling Up: A Senior Engineer’s Guidebook
When you move from Junior to Mid-level Software Engineer, you’re mostly building on what you already know. You get better at writing clean code, you pick up speed, and you start to really understand how your team works. But making the leap from Mid to Senior? That’s a whole new game. Suddenly, you’re expected to make technical decisions, work across teams, and help drive your team’s success. I’ll talk about what being a Senior Engineer actually means, and what people are really looking for. These days, on-the-job training is rare. Managers want to see these skills early, not just when you have the title.
Here’s a challenge: the most experienced engineers are often working remotely, so it’s harder for newer folks to pick things up just by being around them. How are you supposed to know what’s expected if you never get to see it in action? That’s what I want to help with. We’ll dig into everything from system design to working with other teams, the stuff nobody really explains. This is a sneak peek from my upcoming book (coming Fall 2026), pulled from both my own experience and the many engineers I interviewed.
You’ll leave with practical skills you can start using right away, and a clearer picture of what it really means to be a Senior Engineer, so you can stop guessing and be ready for your next step.
CodeMash 2020 Sessionize Event
KCDC 2019 Sessionize Event
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