I have done this, but it can be harder to manage. Watch you don't burn yourself out. Mentoring someone inside your org, but outside your immediate team is ofte

I have done this, but it can be harder to manage. Watch you don't burn yourself out. Mentoring someone inside your org, but outside your immediate team is often a better option because the motivations are clearer and the individual is getting inputs from you, their manager, their team, other individuals in the broader org. When it's someone completely outside it can be much harder to understand the motivating factors, reinforce learning, ensure follow through etc. As a result, scoping the mentorship and building up a successful relationship is harder. Example: You meet someone looking to build non-trivial sites with Django to make a career switch. If you discover they are deficient in Python, do you go down that rabbit hole, or stick to only Django? Unless you and they are really motivated things can break down quickly. Inside an org you might have the option of supporting that person talking to their manager about taking a formal training course. Of course you can suggest similar to a random individual at a meetup, but the follow through often isn't going to the same extent.