Ben Tobin Portland, Oregon
Career Coach, ADD ADHD Coach, Leadership Coach
BS, Bachelor of Computer Science
-
Portland, Oregon 97215
4066239277-
Send Message
-
Visit Website
- Hourly Rate: $200 to $270 US Dollars
- Gender: Male
- Training: SeattleCoach
Details
Listen to Noomii's interview with Ben Tobin
About Me
I've spent 20 years in the software industry, both as a software engineer and managing software teams. I've learned a great deal about the industry and worked with many people to find their path in the software world. I've helped people find their specializations, earn promotions, navigate challenging situations and teams, and helped people improve their happiness and performance at these demanding jobs.
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was in college, and it was a turning point in my life. Learning how my brain works and how to work with it changed the course of my life and career. Not all of my clients have ADHD, but many do, and I make a point of taking an ADHD-friendly approach.
Instead of trying to shape you into something you aren't, I help you find your strengths and focus on those.
During my time in the software industry and the working world in general, I've come to discover that I really value and enjoy helping people navigate this world and support them in succeeding. My calling is to set you up for success.
I do this by helping you identify what's most important to you (if you don't already know) and then I work with you to build a plan of action with small, achievable steps along the way. I stay with you to keep you accountable, and I provide perspective to help you see what you might be too close to see for yourself.
This is a path we start on together, and I'll be with you as long as you need me. And when you don't need my help anymore, we celebrate your success at the end of our engagement. If you don't need me anymore, that's how I know I've done my job.
Reviews
16 reviews (5.0)
Ben helped me find a clear path forward, incorporate techniques for staying productive, and build my confidence one step at a time. He truly listened to my experiences and understood my challenges, finding ways to navigate the big ones while also validating the small ones so we could address them.
David P
Ben was able to hear about my non-traditional tech experience/career and was quickly and easily able to synthesize that information and give me actionable items for my next steps. He helped me bring my stress down a lot by helping me see a strong path forward.
Josh C
Ben is extremely capable, kind, and knowledgeable. Which is exactly what you want in a career coach. S++
Paydon Wilinchery
Working with Ben has empowered me to take a transformative approach to my professional journey. As someone in a technical role at a large company, I immediately appreciated how well Ben understood the unique challenges of my position. What sets him apart is his thoughtful approach to coaching rather than prescribing solutions, he asks incisive questions that guide you toward your own insights and conclusions. Ben's quiet, contemplative demeanor creates a space where genuine reflection can happen. He excels at helping you transform ambitious aspirations into actionable steps, always grounding his guidance in practical, implementable strategies. For someone like me who sometimes struggles with focus, his ability to help structure and direct energy toward specific goals is remarkable. What I value most about Ben's coaching style is that he empowers you to be the architect of your own growth. He doesn't simply tell you what to do; instead, he helps you discover and navigate your own path forward. I would strongly recommend Ben to anyone ready to explore their potential and willing to put in the work to achieve it. He's the ideal coach for professionals who want to take ownership of their development while having an experienced guide.
Josh Miller
As an adult with ADHD who worked in the tech industry, working with Ben Tobin has been great! In particular, I have more tools to get unstuck on tech projects and not go through extremely strong emotions when I face a roadblock (common with adults who have ADHD).
Matt Jennings
I worked with Ben for 6 sessions (every other week) in Q3 and Q4 of 2024 and had a great experience. I'm a senior developer with 5-10 years of experience, and was looking for guidance on continuing to improve and ensuring I was doing the right things to continue to climb the career ladder and not stagnate at the senior level. Working with Ben was excellent due to his experience in the industry, his experience as a coach/mentor, and that he was an impartial 3rd party focused on exploring what was best for me. Usually our sessions would start and I'd bring up a discussion topic I was struggling with, and Ben would help me to see things in a new way or grow my understanding somehow. Felt very calm and natural and I always came away with actionable ways to improve and a grown sense of confidence. With that said, it's important to remind you that coaching, like everything else, you will get out what you put in. Make sure you show up prepared and are as open & vulnerable as you can be during the sessions to get the most benefits. Fortunately Ben makes this easy with his structured (but still very simple) pre-meeting plan worksheet and professional demeanor.
Chris Hipple
Ben loves helping people and you can see it in his show of genuine empathy. He is brilliant without arrogance. Ben has a perfect personality for a career coach. Somehow, with his quiet voice, he brings to life brilliant action items you can implement in your life.
Michael Tiday
Ben is a great listener and very eager to help. I am someone who is trying to enter the tech industry early in my career. Although I was not entering into software engineering/development roles he helped me navigate through the various opportunities within the tech world and always gave great advice to take after the end of every session. I highly recommend him to anyone especially someone who graduated out of college and are feeling stuck in their career.
Nour Abdelhalim
Working with Ben has been incredibly helpful for my growth in my professional career. I worked with him to figure out how I could improve my focus at work. Together we looked at what was impeding my ability to focus and came up with strategies to mitigate those. Ben has a unique way of asking questions that has helped me dig deeper and change my approach to focus. I hope to continue working with him to grow in other aspects of my career.
S Rahman
Ben is a calm yet powerful coach. He knows just the questions to ask to help me see what I haven't been able to see on my own. He holds the space for me to really go deep into my own thoughts. Being coached by Ben is such a powerful experience.
Andrew Lamppa
Bens expertise and perspective helped me to develop the right mindset for my next carrier move.
Claudio
Ben's coaching was spectacular and eye-opening for me. Ben was patient and really listens to everything I have to say and allows me to see a different perspective. I felt very stuck in my tech career as an application engineer for at least 7 years and was worried about my interview with Big A. I was also very indecisive and worried about my career options in general. He helped prep me for my interview but most importantly, helped me with my roadblocks, anxiety and procrastination issues in my career, guidance I could have not received anywhere else. I ended up getting an offer for a job I never thought I could get for a company I never thought I could work for. Most importantly, I gained more confidence and had more direction in my tech career. I don't think I could find better career mentorship anywhere else. I highly recommend Ben to anyone who is feeling stuck in their career, wanting to break into tech and wanting to improve themselves in the job function they are in. My job is a big part of my life, being able to get coaching from Ben allows me to understand myself more and make small tweaks so that I could have a more fulfilling career in tech. I highly recommend Ben's coaching because its a form of self-improvement for your own career.
Vivian Lok
I was a Systems Administrator/Systems Engineer wanting to break into a career in tech with a role more focused on DevOps. Ben helped coach me on what qualities are desirable in the tech industry and helped me find things about myself that were valuable to potential employers. Ben helped prep me for interviews and I ended up getting an offer for a job that I absolutely love. I'd recommend Ben to anyone trying to break into tech or anyone just looking to improve themselves professionally. Can't recommend him enough.
Josh Wagner
Just as the best doctors center the thoughts and needs of all of their patients, Ben sets the standard for listening, understanding, and validating the needs of his clients. With so many issues crossing boundaries, such as the challenges mental health may present in professional work, this ability often can be the difference between success and failure. In my own case, Ben helped me move from a panicked junior engineer to someone that has the courage to tackle increasingly large problems.
Marco
Tobin has great experiences in different companies and jobs to share, this allows him to make you understand things that you might not have seen yourself. He guided me into choosing a path for my career, Im now more secure of what I want to do. He has patience and always tries to help, I would recommend him for anyone who is looking for guidance and would like to learn from his experience.
Jean Mejicanos
Ben and I have met up around 2 hrs/week for the past month. It's been an incredible journey together. Ben is extremely wise and knowledgeable in the tech area and also has great mentorship abilities. I made a lot of progress in getting my first job and also learned a lot about motivation and procrastination. I'm excited to continue to build a stronger relationship and continue to get valuable insights towards reaching my goals.
Brian Kim
