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Damilola Akinniyi

Geotechnical mentorship

Build Your Direction as an Engineer

A structured, self-paced mentorship journey for engineers who want to develop the clarity, technical direction and professional capabilities needed for geotechnical engineering.

Begin with the free foundation journey. The paid programme is being developed and will open first as a limited pilot.

Begin the Free JourneyJoin the Interest List

Who it is for

Designed for Engineers, Open to the Curious

Designed for engineering students, graduates, early-career engineers and researchers. The free Foundation materials are open to anyone curious about what soil can teach them.

Students and Graduates

Explore geotechnical engineering and understand the knowledge, habits and direction needed to enter the field.

Early-Career Engineers

Build technical confidence, reflective practice and a clearer professional development pathway.

Researchers and Developing Professionals

Strengthen independent learning, technical communication and purposeful career or research direction.

Your free starting point

The Foundation Journey

The first stage helps you understand yourself as an engineer before deciding what you need to learn next.

1

Read the First Session Guide

Understand the purpose of the journey and prepare to reflect honestly on your development.

2

Complete the First Session Assignment

Use soil mechanics concepts to reflect on your strengths, challenges, experiences and next steps, with the Soil Concepts handout as your guide to what each concept means.

3

Use the Reflection Worksheet

Record your discoveries, identify development needs and turn reflection into practical next steps.

4

Submit Your Essay and Decide What Comes Next

Upload your essay for one free introductory review, apply to join my mentee list, or continue independently.

Why the first lesson matters

Self-Awareness Before Strategy

Advice becomes more useful when you understand your existing strengths, habits, pressures and support needs.

Using soil mechanics concepts such as plasticity, consolidation and shear strength as a reflective framework, the lesson helps you examine your strengths, habits and experiences, and how you respond when circumstances become difficult.

This is not a personality test. It is a practical reflection exercise designed to help you ask better questions about yourself as an engineer.

Clarify your interest in geotechnical engineering
Recognise strengths and development gaps
Understand your learning and working patterns
Identify a focused mentorship goal
Prepare for a meaningful development journey

Free foundation pack

Four Resources, One Simple Access Form

Complete the resources in order. Enter your details once to unlock the complete foundation pack.

1. First Session Guide

Learn how the journey works and prepare for your first reflective exercise.

2. First Session Assignment

Explore yourself through the lens of soil mechanics and identify a meaningful starting point.

3. Soil Concepts Handout

Understand what each soil concept means technically and how it can serve as a life metaphor.

4. Reflection Worksheet

Capture your insights, development needs and practical next steps.

Unlock the Free Foundation Pack

Enter your name and email once to access all four resources.

Free Mentorship Foundation Pack Access

Your details are stored so the resources can be provided. Occasional updates are sent only if you select the optional checkbox.

Optional free feedback

Submit Your Essay for a Free Introductory Review

When you have completed the first assignment, you can submit your reflection essay for one free introductory review.

The review will provide brief written observations to help clarify your starting point, possible development goal and whether a paid pathway may be appropriate.

Submit Your Essay

Stage 2 ยท Research development

Build the Habits of a Researcher

Free guidance for anyone preparing for research: find the right researchers, read their current work, summarise it clearly and see what has not yet been answered.

This stage is for you if you are:

Preparing scholarship or postgraduate applications
Emailing potential supervisors but receiving no replies
Carrying out experimental testing and connecting it to the literature
A current research student in geotechnical engineering

1. Research Development Guide

Why a strategic literature review matters, and the four habits it builds: finding, reading, summarising and questioning.

Download the Guide

2. Strategic Literature Review Exercise

The step-by-step brief, the six-part review format and what I look for in a strong review.

Download the Assignment

Submitting your reviews is for mentees only. The guide and assignment are free for everyone. If you would like feedback on your reviews, apply to join my mentee list. Accepted mentees upload their work on the mentee submissions page.

Apply to Join My Mentee List

Future paid programme

Choose the Level of Support You Need

The paid programme is not yet open. These planned categories will be tested through a limited pilot.

Self-Paced Access

For independent learners who need a structured pathway.

  • Selected modules
  • Worksheets and assignments
  • Suggested learning sequence
  • Progress checklist

Guided Development

For learners who want structured study with professional feedback.

  • Everything in Self-Paced Access
  • Feedback on selected assignments
  • Agreed milestone reviews
  • Written development guidance

Structured Mentorship

For participants who want regular individual support.

  • Tailored measurable goal
  • Selected modules and feedback
  • One-hour session every two weeks
  • Three-month starting programme
  • Extension after progress review

Help shape the pilot

Join the Mentorship Interest List

Tell me where you are, what you want to achieve and which level of support interests you most.

Your response will help shape the first three-month pilot. Joining the list does not commit you to purchasing the programme.

Geotechnical Mentorship Interest List

Your details will be stored so you can receive information about the mentorship pilot. Your programme preference and goals will be used to help design relevant pathways.