Maybe I'm the outlier but at >15 years into this job I think back on what I was like/did/thought 6 years in and shudder, at that point I never mentored anyone m

Maybe I'm the outlier but at >15 years into this job I think back on what I was like/did/thought 6 years in and shudder, at that point I never mentored anyone my junior seriously enough to influence their perception (I don't think) but if I did I'm not sure it would have been a positive influence. The lack of failures, felt pain, time to reflect.. in combination with the hubris of 20-smth youth isn't a recipe for good software engineering I don't think.