4 ms·
Alternate headline: Very successful people seek out mentors to enhance their own capabilities. More seriously, I've always found two distinct types of mentors,
by davidu 12y ago
Alternate headline: Very successful people seek out mentors to enhance their own capabilities.
More seriously, I've always found two distinct types of mentors, and discovered it's crucial to separate the two types apart from each other and not confuse one for the other.
One type is the "been there done that" type with decades of experience in one particular area, and they simply share with you lots of anecdotes about how things have played out in the past as empirical evidence of how they may play out in the future.
The other type is the kind of mentor who provides you with an analytical framework to be able to prioritize and evaluate decisions on your own. This person often helps you see the forest from the trees, or helps you recognize blindspots you might not be aware of.
Both are valuable, but it's important to know the difference.
- strathmeyer 12y agoI've always been seeking a mentor, but have literally never met someone who would help me in life. All I want to do is be a programmer? You're saying that's not why I've has such poor success at finding opportunities or applying myself correctly? You're saying that isn't a field that someone can easily help someone else succeed in? The people I helped get jobs in college didn't seem to have any problems. Please explain!
- davidu 12y agoPerhaps english isn't your first language, but your grammar is so painful it's hard to know what you are asking. If you are seeking a mentor for programming, join an IRC channel dedicated to your current favorite language and start listening, learning, and asking questions. Over time, a mentor will emerge.
- maineldc 12y ago@strathmeyer - you say that you have never met anyone who would help you so here you go: I will. Contact me at this handle at gmail (I don't always check that address but I will check it for the next week or so). I will share my background and let you decide if you will find it valuable.
- Spooky23 12y agoOr - One weird trick to business success: take advice from people who know what they are talking about.
- akurilin 12y agoOne of my biggest personal and professional mistakes so far has been not seeking quality mentorship early enough. The boost in growth you get from having someone actually care about how you are doing is practically incalculable. The bond between master and apprentice is also such a beautiful part of human experience, you definitely want to experience that in your life.