The value of mentors

[crystalized]

I am looking for opinions as to the value of having a mentor. Not only the value of a mentor but also what to look for and where to look to try and locate one that is a good fit. I would also love to hear any information anyone is willing to share regarding mentoring experiences they have had.

I personally think it would be a real boon to my learning process and career in general to be able to benefit from the experiences and knowledge of someone who has a longer background in the industry than I do.

I guess what I would be looking for in general is someone with expertise in the specific area that I work in. Also with experience in areas I am interested in learning about.

I think of great value would be someone who could provide the odd bit of technical expertise or insight, but primarily someone who could help me define some of the direction I should take in my future education and employment path. Perhaps someone who could give me "assignments", direct me to things I can do for myself that perhaps I have not thought of, or that I have been putting off. Sometimes that little push in the right direction can make a big difference.

I do not think that in this age of email and easy communication that a mentor would have to be located in close physical proximity. I do think that they would have to be willing to hear from me on a regular basis via email and maybe occasionally by phone.

Finally I guess I would like to know what people think of my ideas for a mentor. Do they sound reasonable? If you are in a position to be a mentor do you think that I am making the wrong kind of assumptions about the role a mentor plays? And what kind of benefits do you think a mentoring relationship brings to the mentor?

Does anyone have any type of suggestions about where someone would locate a mentor?
Crystal
crystalized_s@yahoo.com

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Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing.

-Oscar Wilde

 

[THoey]

Being an ex-military type that did a lot of IT learning while in the AF, I am big on the ideas of mentoring. With about 10 years of military developing served, I got to work for and with several great developers. Each of them had their own greatnesses and weaknesses that I watched and learned from.

The main thing is to not only learn while you are working with them, but to also learn from after they are gone. Did they do something that made it easier to go back in and maintain the systems later, etc. How did they do it, did it help, if not, how else could it have been done.

I don't know exactly how you could find this kind of "experience" teacher out "in the real world". What I would suggest is that you look at the people you work with, from the most senior manager to the most junior employee. They each have something to offer. Pick their brain.

Good luck in your "vision quest"...


Terry M. Hoey
th3856@txmail.sbc.com

Ever notice that by the time that you realize that you ran a truncate script on the wrong instance, it is too late to stop it?

 

[crystalized]

Thanks for the response Terry.

I actually have been in an employment situation where I am the IT department. So unfortunately looking to the people I work with has not been an option. In the next week that will actually be changing, so I am hoping I can find that where I am going. I know some of the staff at my new job are also quite new to the field but less new than me LOL.

I think that I will also continue to look for people outside my own employer. I know I am being sent outside the company for training on a new system. I am hoping to be able to find someone at the training center who might be willing to at least occasionally correspond with me.

It sound to me like the military has the right idea if they utilize a mentoring process. I have heard that many Japanese companies used to use a very formalized mentoring process that paired new people up with experienced staff. With the experienced staff member taking a very active role in the overall development of the junior staff member.
Crystal
crystalized_s@yahoo.com

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Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing.

-Oscar Wilde