Career Mentoring Melbourne

Still Learning - End of Year Panel

**Curious about what tech leaders are finding difficult, and how they keep learning anyway?** Join us for a great panel discussion on what tech leaders are still learning and where they find things difficult. This will be followed by our Tech Leading Ladies End-of-Year Celebration! 🎉 We’re thrilled to welcome an incredible lineup of panelists: ✨ **Mai Nguyen** (she/her) - Chief Engineer @ Bendigo Bank ✨ **Lavinia Kanagandran** (she/her) - Ethical Tech Founder @ Good Humans ✨ **Iman Yusuf** (she/her) - Senior Engineering Manager @ Atlassian Our panelists will share how they find their way out of survival mode and keep growing. Each of these remarkable leaders has forged their own path in tech, and they’ll open up about their personal journeys, lessons learned, and the wisdom they have acquired along the way. 💬 **Bring your questions!** We’ll wrap up with a Q&A session where you can engage directly with our panelists. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate, connect, and learn from some of the top tech leaders in our community. We can’t wait to see you there! **Agenda (time in Melbourne/AEST)** * 5:30pm Networking * 6:00pm Welcome & EOY Wrapup * 6:15pm Panel + Q&A * 7:00pm Networking * 7:30pm Close **This will be a HYBRID event:** **Zoom link -** will be posted 1hr before event starts.

Build Your Business Idea with Claude

**Turn your business idea into a working product prototype in a day. Use Claude to define your requirements, build your first version, and improve it through testing and feedback.** Have you ever wanted to create a self-service quoting tool for your customers, turn repeated back-and-forth conversations into an online questionnaire, or give clients an easier way to access your services? You have the idea, but taking the next step can feel difficult. Which features should you build first? How do you explain what you need? Can you create something people can use and explore without a programming background? AI coding tools are opening up new possibilities for more people to build their own products. Creating something useful for your business also means understanding your users, mapping out the experience, and checking and refining the results. **Making your idea clear, then testing it through a working prototype, is a practical way to move your project forward.** Join **Vanessa Cai** for the **Build Your Business Idea with Claude workshop**. Through case walkthroughs and guided exercises, you will learn how to turn a business idea into a product prototype. Using **Claude Code**, you will start with a description of what you need, build an interface and core interactions, then refine the experience through testing and feedback. **No coding experience is required. Start with a specific problem and explore how to build a product in collaboration with AI.** ## 🛠️ What will you learn and build in one day? The workshop covers four core areas: * **Define your requirements \| Turn your business idea into a clear brief** Identify who your product is for, what problem it solves, and what users should get from completing a task. Map the core user journey and create a product brief with functional requirements, examples and clear completion criteria. * **Build your prototype \| Create your first version with Claude Code** Learn how to describe tasks to Claude Code and progressively build an interface, core interactions and results display. Create a complete journey that takes a user from entering information to receiving a useful result. * **Refine through feedback \| Bring your product closer to real needs** Review what Claude Code creates and give specific, actionable feedback. Refine the logic and sample data, handle common situations such as missing information or invalid inputs, and practise evaluating and improving AI-generated work. * **Test and demonstrate \| Find problems and plan your next steps** Check the experience on desktop and mobile. Use peer testing and discussion to identify issues, prioritise fixes that affect the core journey, and demonstrate your prototype with a clear explanation of what to improve next. We will begin by exploring a complete example before guiding you through building your own version. Choose a small, focused business need, such as a service quoting tool, an event-matching tool or a customer needs assessment. ## 🎯 What will you take away? This workshop combines business analysis with practical product building. You will leave with: * **A product prototype that runs locally on your laptop** Build one complete core user journey that you can use to demonstrate your idea, discuss requirements and guide further development. * **A clear product brief** Document your target users, core requirements and completion criteria so you can move forward with greater clarity and communicate more effectively with developers or collaborators. * **Practical materials you can keep using** Take away example inputs and outputs, a testing checklist and a prioritised list of improvements to support your next round of development. In one day, move from “I have an idea for a tool” to something you can operate, demonstrate and discuss. Your workshop project will be a product prototype that you can continue developing and refining as your needs become clearer. ## 👥 Who is this workshop for? * Entrepreneurs with a product or service idea who want to build their first prototype. * Small business owners looking to improve the customer experience or explore new services. * Consultants and freelancers who want to turn their expertise into practical tools. * Product managers and Business Analysts who want to practise defining requirements and building with AI. * Professionals without a coding background who are ready to try AI coding tools. **No coding experience is required. You should be comfortable with basic laptop tasks and willing to try new software, review results and make adjustments throughout the day.** Please bring a laptop on which you can install software, and follow the pre-workshop instructions to set up Claude Code and the required development environment. You can bring a business idea that can be explored without sensitive information, or use one of the project briefs provided in class. Account requirements and any additional software or usage costs will be confirmed before you register. ## Meet Your Instructor: Vanessa Cai **Senior Business Analyst \| Over 20 years of experience in banking and fintech** Vanessa brings extensive experience in requirements analysis, solution design and validation. At NAB, she has led complex projects involving electronic payment systems, terminal management and AI applications. Her experience spans risk management, change management and business requirements analysis, with a focus on turning business problems into clear, actionable solutions. She brings this business analysis perspective to the workshop, helping you consider who your product serves, how its core journey should work, and how to assess whether the results meet your requirements. Her professional certifications include: * IIBA® Agile Analysis Certification * IIBA® Certification in Product Ownership Analysis * IIBA® Entry Certificate in Business Analysis * AWS Certified AI Practitioner ## Event Details **Date:** Sunday, 22 November 2026 **Time:** 10:00 am–4:00 pm, Melbourne time (AEDT) — tentative **Location:** Melbourne — venue to be confirmed **Format:** In-person practical workshop **Language:** English **Early bird:** A$328 per person **Standard price:** A$389 per person ## Join the Workshop **Give your business idea its first working version in just one day.** From understanding your users and defining requirements to building core features, testing and making improvements, join Vanessa for a practical journey from idea to product prototype with Claude Code. **Come with an idea. Leave with a project you can keep building.**

TechWalking after Working - Networking Event for Tech Professionals

**"TechWalking" - Networking + Walking** Are you a tech professional looking to network beyond the screen? Look no further than my upcoming #TechWalking event! ‍♀️ Join us for a refreshing Yarra River Short City Loop. It’s the perfect chance to connect with industry peers while getting in some steps! I know many of you have been tuning in to my online events, but we've never had the opportunity to meet in person. Let's change that! Check out the video from the last event: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z955MaRHSqI We'll kick things off at **5.30 pm sharp** at Federation Square. Please, don't be late! We're hitting the trail around the river as soon as we gather. And trust me, you won't want to miss it – unless you're up for a bit of a sprint to catch up! (we're going clockwise) Meeting point: Mamas Gozleme, 14 Birrarung Marr Walk, Melbourne VIC 3000 https://maps.app.goo.gl/wDruvccNUzSWkV8y5 This event is pet and kid-friendly, as long as your little ones and furry friends can manage a 3 km walk, they're more than welcome to join. Looking forward to meeting you all in real life! **TechWalking is free, and always will be.** But keeping the community going takes time, effort, and a few ongoing costs. If you enjoy TechWalking and would like to help us keep it growing, any donation is greatly appreciated: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/donate](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/donate) Join the TechWalking group on LinkedIn! [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/) **TechWalking Community page: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/)** \*\*\* Follow me on LinkedIn for more information: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-martens/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-martens/) Just moved to Australia? Grab your FREE guide to land your tech job! [https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/](https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/) Subscribe to the YouTube Channel: [https://www.youtube.com/@ITCareerinAustralia](https://www.youtube.com/@ITCareerinAustralia)

📚 #InPursuit – A Book Club for Builders, Thinkers, and Doers

📚 #InPursuit is a book club for entrepreneurs, creatives, and curious minds who know personal growth fuels business growth. **See a lot of RSPVPs and wonder how it works? We'll break up into groups of 6-8 to share our insights, then swap groups after 30-45min so you can maximise learning from everybody!** *Note: this even is not organised by or affiliated with The State Library of Victoria* **That's what #InPursuit is all about** It’s not a traditional book club, it’s a space for people who are actively designing a better life through the pursuit of business, creativity, and personal growth. This event is for anyone #InPursuit of better business, life and relationships. Instead of reading the same book, we each come prepared to share one powerful insight from something we’ve read in the past 3-months. Anything non-fiction that’s moved us forward. Whether it’s a mindset shift, a productivity system, a new philosophy, or just a truth that punched us in the gut. This is a place to unpack it together and hear what others are learning too. We’re not just here to *read*. We’re here to *integrate*. Because when we grow, our business and our lives grow too. **🔍 Why Join? You'll leave with:** * 5–10 fresh insights from books you may never have picked up * Deeper awareness of how others think, lead, and evolve * New connections with people walking a similar path toward purpose, results, and impact This isn’t a lecture. It’s a room full of people building themselves while they build the thing. **📖 How It Works** First time? No pressure to share, just come curious. We'll break up into groups of 6-8 and share our insights, then swap groups so you can maximise the learning! Returning? Bring one idea you’ve read about in the last 3-months and be ready to speak on: 1. What did you learn? 2. How did it shift your perspective about the world or yourself? 3. How has it changed the way you show up or behave? We keep it structured, but flexible. After sharing, we open up to Q&A, personal stories, challenges, and deep dives. Some of the best insights come from the conversations *after* the share. **🧠 Who This Is For** * Entrepreneurs or side-hustlers finding their footing * Business owners, and doers building toward better * Curious minds who love ideas but care more about action * People tired of shallow conversations and hungry for growth If you’re working on something—or becoming someone—this space is for you. It’s a practice ground for people who want to grow forward. We’re all #InPursuit of mastery, momentum, and the kind of success that starts from within. **Map on how to get there** We're in the Create Quarter on the ground level (back right of the Quad as you enter from Swanson St). We'll likely be on a long table together. https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/SLV-EnglishMap_Jan25.pdf

AI Engineer Workshop：Claude Agent Workshop

# Claude Agent Workshop **A hands-on day of building AI agents with Python, exploring tool use, workflows and evaluations.** *Build AI Agents & LLM-Powered Applications with Python.* With today’s models and development tools, building an AI application that answers questions is increasingly accessible. Giving it the ability to call tools, retrieve information and complete tasks requires an understanding of how agents work. How does an agent decide what to do next? What happens after a tool returns a result? When should you use a predefined workflow, and when should the agent choose its next action? How do you know whether it completed the task correctly? **Understanding these questions—and exploring them through code—provides a foundation for developing, debugging and improving AI agents.** In this **Claude Agent Workshop**, **Roy, AI Engineer at V2 AI**, will guide you through practical Python coding and focused exercises. Using the **Anthropic Python SDK**, you’ll start with a basic agent loop, then explore tool use, workflow control, external knowledge retrieval and evaluations. ## 🛠️ What will you learn in one day? The workshop covers four core areas: * **Agent Development \| Build with Python** Use the Anthropic Python SDK to make model calls and implement a basic agent loop. Follow how a user request moves through model responses, tool execution and returned results. * **Tool Use & Workflows \| Connect tools and control execution** Define tools, validate arguments, handle execution results and return them to the model. Compare predefined workflows with agent-directed execution, where the model selects tools and determines its next action. * **MCP & RAG \| Connect external tools and knowledge** Work through a prepared MCP integration and a small document retrieval exercise. Explore how agents access external capabilities and use relevant information to support their answers. * **Evaluations & Debugging \| Test and improve your agent** Assess task completion, tool selection and answer quality. Run a small evaluation set, inspect failures and adjust instructions or tool behaviour based on the results. The workshop centres on practical work. You’ll begin by running and inspecting an example, then write code, connect tools, test results and make improvements—bringing the concepts together in a runnable agent project. ## 🎯 What will you take away? The workshop connects technical understanding with practical experience in three ways: * **Experience building an agent from scratch** Develop a runnable Python agent project and understand how model calls, tool execution and the agent loop work together. * **A clearer understanding of the development process** Connect tool use, workflows, MCP, RAG and evaluations. Understand the problem each component addresses and how the pieces support task execution. * **Code and exercises to continue learning** Take away workflow examples, guided MCP and RAG exercises, and a small evaluation set with observations to inform further improvements. You’ll leave with hands-on experience across the key stages of agent development and a clearer sense of what to practise next. ## Who is this workshop for? This workshop is suitable for: * Learners with Python foundations who want a practical introduction to agent development. * Software developers exploring LLM applications and AI agents. * Developers who have experimented with agents and want to better understand tool use and execution flows. * Aspiring AI engineers seeking practical experience with MCP, RAG and evaluations. * Technical learners looking to connect individual AI concepts through a working project. **You should be comfortable reading and writing Python and ready to modify, run and debug code during the workshop.** Please bring a laptop with Python, uv and a code editor such as VS Code installed. The required API provider, supported Python version and responsibility for API usage charges will be confirmed before registration. ## Meet your instructor: Roy **AI Engineer @ V2 AI** Roy has worked on Agentic AI and software development projects at companies including Deloitte, bringing experience applying AI engineering to enterprise needs. His project experience spans **global supply chain risk management, invoice processing automation and software development productivity**, with a focus on connecting AI capabilities to practical business requirements. Roy holds the following Claude certifications: * Claude Certified Architect – Professional * Claude Certified Architect – Foundations * Claude Certified Developer – Foundations ## Event details **Date:** Sunday, 15 November 2026 **Time:** 10:00 AM–4:00 PM AEDT, proposed **Location:** Melbourne, Australia; exact venue to be confirmed **Format:** In-person, hands-on workshop **Language:** English **Early bird:** A$328 per person **Standard:** A$389 per person Early bird registration closes on **8 November 2026 at 11:59 PM AEDT, Melbourne time**. Each ticket covers this workshop only. ## Register for the workshop **Turn your understanding of AI agents into working Python code.** From building an agent loop to connecting tools, retrieving knowledge and evaluating results, spend a day putting the foundations of agent development into practice with Roy.

Realities of Coaching: Managing the Risks Nobody Talks About

Southbank Toastmasters: Monthly Meetup on Third Thursdays

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking with Southbank Toastmasters! Ready to transform nerves into confidence? Join us for a fun, interactive workshop to: ✨ Conquer your fear of speaking 💡 Learn pro tips from experienced mentors 📈 Boost your business and career through powerful communication Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned speaker, this is your chance to grow, connect, and shine! 🌟 Don’t miss out—step up to the mic and join us! 🎤

The Cosmos Within: building the life and goals you actually want

Is there something you want to build, grow or change in your work, but haven't moved on yet? The Cosmos Within is a free, relaxed discussion circle for curious, open-minded people. This week we're exploring what happens when your inner world meets your goals: the ideas, the doubts, the "someday" plans, and what it takes to turn them into action. Whether you're starting a business, growing one, or still just thinking about it, you're welcome. We'll explore three questions together: 1. What's the goal you've set for your work or business that hasn't started yet? 1. What's really holding it back: the idea, the confidence or the follow-through? 1. What's one step you could take this week? What to expect: • A small, friendly group • Real conversation, no experts and no sales pitch • Share as much or as little as you like. Listening is welcome too • Leave with one clear next step Who it's for: anyone with a work or business goal, big or small, at any stage. You don't need to know anyone. Details: Saturday 31 October, 12:00 pm Location: THE OBSERVATORY, BOTANICAL GARDEN Free to attend Hosted by Abeer Verma

Casual Coffee Catchup

We’ve been running coffee catchups for you for four years, and although we’ve recently announced changed many our events, we’re bringing you this staple event one last time for 2026 💜 ☕ **Girl Who Boss Coffee Catchup!** ☕ Join us for a relaxed and casual coffee catchup, where like-minded women come together to connect, chat, and share ideas! Whether you're a career professional, entrepreneur, or creative, this is the perfect chance to meet other inspiring women in a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. *** **Here’s the agenda:** 🕚 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Welcome & Mingle 💬 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Casual Conversations & Coffee 🤝 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Networking & Wrap-Up No formalities, no pressure—just a space to enjoy great company, share experiences, and make new connections over coffee. ☕💖 These meetups are a great way to ease into networking while building friendships in a laid-back setting. Looking forward to catching up with everyone! 🌟 Feel free to message me if you have any questions. See you there! 😊

The Key To Making Money - Free Talk

Why do we find it hard to make money, while others are flourishing and prospering? Is it just that some were born lucky? No. Do some people just have a natural talent? No. It comes down to the art of communication. One's ability to communicate will determine how successful one will be, not only in business, but life as a whole. We will be covering different avenues of communication, and what you can do to bring change to your life. ------- The talk will go for roughly 45 mins, give or take. We will then proceed to do a Personality Test which will really break down what areas in your life you are lacking in, and can then get the appropriate tools to assist you.

Spontaneous Coffee Catchup

☕ **Girl Who Boss Coffee Catchup!** ☕ Join us for a relaxed and casual coffee catchup, where like-minded women come together to connect, chat, and share ideas! Whether you're a career professional, entrepreneur, or creative, this is the perfect chance to meet other inspiring women in a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. No formalities, no pressure - just a space to enjoy great company, share experiences, and make new connections over coffee. ☕💖 These meetups are a great way to ease into networking while building friendships in a laid-back setting. Looking forward to catching up with everyone! 🌟 The event is ticketed to help us cover our costs - you can read more about that [here](https://girlswhoboss.substack.com/p/accessibility-sustainability-and?r=4apm4h&utm_medium=ios).

Movers & Shakers - Monthly Social & Networking Coffee

Are you craving some conversations with other big thinkers? The Movers & Shakers monthly coffee is for the creative's who are driven, are hustlers, are actively seeking to grow and look for new opportunities and are wanting to be around other dreamers and action takers. If you're seeking out those conversations that inspire you, that leave you feeling motivated, then this event is for you. The Creative Hustle is a social events community for professional creatives in Melbourne's arts industry. STRUCTURE: 15 min - casual networking/order your coffee 40 min - round table intros and questions 30 min - guided conversations topics in small groups Finish with casual networking MINIMUM SPEND: Everyone who attends this event is required to purchase something from the cafe, minimum of 1 drink.