How to find Mentors ?

Who's a mentor?

When I say mentor, I mean this:

I mean the "trusted counsellor or the wise and trusted guide" kind, we will find out why in a few.

Why do you need one?

No, you don't necessarily need one. Although having a mentor sets you up for either success or failure quicker.

Let's take it this way, the 12 disciples from the bible had Jesus,

Beethoven had Joseph Haydn,

Messi had Ronaldinho and

I have Mr A and Mr T. (A and T because I can't disclose their names yet, sorry.)

Precisely, to get somewhere you need direction, it's faster to get to your destination with direction, all the zeal and grit in the world will be wasted without some direction and that's where mentors come in.

Your mentor could be why your next big job role required no lengthy interviews, your mentor could be why you are no longer stuck in the daily 9 to 5, or better still your mentor could be why you have a career today.

Let's discuss how to find these hidden gems (because that's precisely what mentors are...)

How to find a mentor?

1. Offer value, don't go being burdensome.

   This is how I met Mr A, we worked in the same company, I was an employee and he was the contractor that was building our accounting software. For many busy days as a sysadmin, I observed and provided all the necessary help that was required of me technically. This was my technical value, Secondly, I used to invite him to lunch whenever I was and when I could not get him to lunch, I offered him dessert or two, something that won't require him to leave his desk. (Who doesn't like gifts ?), this kind of value is nothing but just sincere kindness, and anyone might appreciate that.

Your mentor will most likely be a busy person so just stay out of the way whilst you offer value, in summary, be kind. This establishes some informal relationship, your mentor is now your acquaintance and you can start to get some value back, by asking nicely your already prepared questions. Remember not to be burdensome.

1. Use social media, and become a follower.

   I met T through social media, I joined a Twitter space and heard him talk about something that I found interesting, I perused his profile to find out more about his interests. I found his GitHub and followed immediately, then went to LinkedIn to find him, and followed there too. After some time reading his tweets and generating further interest, I sent a LinkedIn connection with the following message:

   

   By this time I had built some rapport so I asked...

   Note that I went straight to the point, and said what I wanted to say, no time wasting... This might work for you or not but doesn't hurt to try.

2. Become a mentee remotely.

   Your mentor might not be available in the same geographic area to influence you but you still can become his/her mentee by just following their daily postings, leaving a comment and hoping they reply. You can also send emails if possible.

I am a huge fan of the CSS expert Kevin Powell hence, I read his newsletters and watch every video that piques my interest, I take his free courses and when the need arises I won't hesitate to enrol in the paid version. I might not have direct access to him but through social media, I definitely can let him influence my frontend development journey.

1. Become a pacesetter (become your own mentor...)

   As is popularly said, your mileage may vary.

   In this case, you are on your own but not really, you can join developer communities that align with your goals and become the mentor that you wish you had. Build many projects to show off your skills. Read blogs to assimilate more info. Write blogs to share your findings and continuously learn and apply yourself. That's the way of the pacesetter.

Good luck.

Last things...

1. Nurture your new relationship, don't abuse your new privilege by asking needlessly. Your mentor is not your dad or mom.

2. Give your mentor gifts, it doesn't have to be expensive but everyone appreciates a little gratitude, especially in the form of a gift.

   After several exchanges with both my mentors, I sent them Christmas gifts, it was nothing expensive but a worthy gesture that buys you more social and career credits.