4 ms·

I've not had a single notable mentor in a decade. Just managers, who change every two or three years, talking about career path to tick a box on the review proc

I've not had a single notable mentor in a decade. Just managers, who change every two or three years, talking about career path to tick a box on the review process. Long ago, I decided to be my own mentor, by assiduously documenting how I do things, technical questions I've had and their answers, and use this knowledge base as my mentor.

theteapot 5y ago
Me too. People who have "mentors" are usually career obsessed dicks.
- hackernewds 5y ago
  Bit of an overreaction
- cehrlich 5y ago
  I've had some people who I would describe as 'mentors' in retrospective, but they were just people I met who were a few years ahead of me in their career/life and were patient with me and helped me and were always up to talk. These people exist, no need to be cynical about it.
  - rpadovani 5y ago
    Isn't this what a mentor is? I never said to somebody: “you are my mentor now”, but contributing to open-source projects I definitely had a couple of guys who helped me constantly over the years, of which I am genuinely grateful for.
    - cehrlich 5y ago
      Yes, that's my point. I don't think it's necessary to "go out and seek a mentor", just be kind to and stay in touch with people you run into who are good.
ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
I have a very good friend, and we chat maybe an hour or so at a time, a couple of times a week. I look to him for life advice and emotional support; not technical or career advice. He's not a career mentor; he's a wise friend, and what I treasure, is his kindness, wisdom and example. He's quite wealthy, and is an experienced and successful businessman. I am constantly hearing stories from him about his business dealings, philosophies, accomplishments, and failures. Most of it is stuff I listen to politely. They are good stories, and he needs someone that will listen to them. Personally, I don't have use for most of this. I have no intentions of becoming a captain of industry. I like the guy, and I'm glad to be there for him. But the thought has occurred to me, that there are people that would kill to hear the stories I hear.
- stopyellingatme 5y ago
  I’m not sure why, but this made my heart warm. Thanks for sharing.
- bluefirebrand 5y ago
  > But the thought has occurred to me, that there are people that would kill to hear the stories I hear. I would be willing to bet that part of the reason he talks to you and not those people is precisely because you aren't trying to leverage his knowledge to build yourself. It makes you a safe person to talk to.
jstx1 5y ago
Doing it by yourself is okay for technical problems but it doesn't work for things like career direction where someone with more experience and a different perspective from yours is very valuable.
grammers 5y ago
Good choice. I've noticed that mentors just repeat over and over what you can learn from a simple online search. There's not much benefits in listening to them.

theteapot 5y ago

Me too. People who have "mentors" are usually career obsessed dicks.

hackernewds 5y ago
Bit of an overreaction
cehrlich 5y ago
I've had some people who I would describe as 'mentors' in retrospective, but they were just people I met who were a few years ahead of me in their career/life and were patient with me and helped me and were always up to talk. These people exist, no need to be cynical about it.
- rpadovani 5y ago
  Isn't this what a mentor is? I never said to somebody: “you are my mentor now”, but contributing to open-source projects I definitely had a couple of guys who helped me constantly over the years, of which I am genuinely grateful for.
  - cehrlich 5y ago
    Yes, that's my point. I don't think it's necessary to "go out and seek a mentor", just be kind to and stay in touch with people you run into who are good.

ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago

I have a very good friend, and we chat maybe an hour or so at a time, a couple of times a week. I look to him for life advice and emotional support; not technical or career advice. He's not a career mentor; he's a wise friend, and what I treasure, is his kindness, wisdom and example. He's quite wealthy, and is an experienced and successful businessman. I am constantly hearing stories from him about his business dealings, philosophies, accomplishments, and failures. Most of it is stuff I listen to politely. They are good stories, and he needs someone that will listen to them. Personally, I don't have use for most of this. I have no intentions of becoming a captain of industry. I like the guy, and I'm glad to be there for him. But the thought has occurred to me, that there are people that would kill to hear the stories I hear.

stopyellingatme 5y ago
I’m not sure why, but this made my heart warm. Thanks for sharing.
bluefirebrand 5y ago
> But the thought has occurred to me, that there are people that would kill to hear the stories I hear. I would be willing to bet that part of the reason he talks to you and not those people is precisely because you aren't trying to leverage his knowledge to build yourself. It makes you a safe person to talk to.

jstx1 5y ago

Doing it by yourself is okay for technical problems but it doesn't work for things like career direction where someone with more experience and a different perspective from yours is very valuable.

grammers 5y ago

Good choice. I've noticed that mentors just repeat over and over what you can learn from a simple online search. There's not much benefits in listening to them.