How To Find A Mentor

Tanaka Mutakwa: [0:01] Hello, everyone. Today, we're going to talk about how to find a mentor. Whether you're just out of university, or you just graduated from a coding boot camp, you need all the help you can get to become the best developer you can be. This is where mentors come in. This is going to be the content of the talk today.

[0:23] My name is Tanaka Mutakwa. I work as a VP of Engineering at a startup called Names & Faces. Names & Faces makes a simple visual employee directory for companies so people at their companies can know who's who at the organization and where they fit in.

[0:43] Back to mentorship, your first job as a software developer can be very challenging. There's so much to learn about coding and building a career in the technology industry. Doing it by yourself can be overwhelming.

[0:58] When I started my first job, one of the senior developers of the company I worked for offered to help me learn and grow into a good software developer. He was more an experienced guide. We had overcome the same problems I was facing and provided an inspiring example for me to follow. If I needed any useful tips in coding, I went to him.

[1:22] If I needed any advice on navigating a career in the technology industry, I went to him. That senior engineer became my mentor, and without him, my software development career would have been difficult at the start.

[1:37] Most people have to find a mentor by themselves. Most people but don't know how to find a mentor. What should you do, and where should you start? Before we get into that detail, let's talk about what mentorship is and what role it plays in your career.

[2:00] Mentorship is relationship oriented and occurs when a person who has years of experience in the field provides guidance on career progression to an individual with less experience. The needs of the mentee are important in this relationship, and the mentor helps wherever possible in this development-driven relationship.

[2:22] It is a long-term relationship as opposed to on-the-spot advice, which you can often frequently get. There are many benefits of having a mentor, such as boosting your confidence, helping you get control of your career, and teaching you important life lessons. Before you search for a mentor, it is helpful to ask yourself what you want from a mentor.

[2:49] Identify clearly what you think are the reasons you need a mentor. Try write down these reasons as a list, as this list will be helpful in your early conversations with your potential mentors. Setting short-term and long-term career goals for yourself will also be useful. It will help give your mentor an idea of the direction you want your career to go.

[3:18] Some examples of what my short-term goals were like early in my career are, I wanted to learn how to write clean code. I wanted to learn how to write good automated tests. I wanted to take good ownership of solutions from my machine to production. I wanted to develop a deeper understanding of the programming languages and frameworks our company used.

[3:43] Some examples of long-term career goals I had in the early days of my career are, I wanted to be able to input and drive architectural decisions. I wanted to learn about technology leadership. I wanted to build a profile external to the company I worked for. I wanted to start a blog and speak at conferences.

[4:07] It is important when you're deciding on these goals to not leave things open ended. You will always be responsible for driving the relationship between you and your mentor. They are there as a guide to support you and your career. Let's chat a bit about where to find mentors.

[4:29] When you start your search for a mentor, look for someone who has been where you want to go. Identify people who are good at teaching and are always keen to share their knowledge. One of the first places to look for a mentor is within the circle of people you already know. It is much easier to find a mentor amongst people you already know than from total strangers.

[4:55] Your current company is usually the most ideal place to find a mentor. There are likely to be some experienced software developers working there. They already know you, have visibility into your work, and will be easier to access when you need help. I highly recommend looking for a mentor within your current company if the situation allows.

[5:20] Meetup communities, conferences, and coding workshops usually have people working to share their knowledge, especially people who are speakers at the events or facilitators of the workshops.

[5:34] You should identify groups that align with your goals, join them, attend the sessions frequently, and establish good relationships with the members. Eventually, you'll be able to identify potential mentors, who you could approach.

[5:51] Getting involved in an open-source project can help you in the search for a mentor. Identify an open-source project you're passionate about, and start making contributions to move the project forward. Your contributions to an open-source project do not have to be complicated coding solutions. Most people start at the basics, perhaps contributing to the documentation of the project.

[6:13] Once you're part of the open-source project, you start interacting with other contributors of the project or the project maintainers. Eventually, you'll be able to identify potential mentors, who you could approach amongst this group.

[6:31] If you cannot identify anyone who could be your potential mentor, your next best approach is to ask your friends if they know any software developer who will be a good mentor for you. Your friends are likely to have contacts that work at their companies that they can connect you with. It may be someone you don't know, but your friends can help you with the introductions.

[6:52] There are also now some online mentorship platforms that exist. This is also another way in which you can find a mentor. Some of these platforms are paid platforms, and some of them are free. Examples, such as CodeMentor, Coding Coach, and MentorCruise, exist. A quick online search for software developer mentorship will give you many of these platforms, and you can choose one that suits you.

[7:26] Once you've identified your potential mentor, you must ask them to set up a formal mentor/mentee relationship. It is important to first build a relationship with the potential mentor. It will become easier to ask that way. Take it slow. Some trust-building may be required before you start.

[7:48] To build a relationship with your potential mentor, offer to take them out for coffee, or find a time to get on a call with them. Make it as easy as possible for them to connect with you. Build rapport. Find something you have in common. Once you have built a relationship with your potential mentor, you should ask them to formally become your mentor.

[8:15] When you ask, you can ask something along these lines -- "You are someone I look up to. I'm new in the software development journey. I've enjoyed the discussions we've had in the past and felt your opinions are always insightful. I would highly appreciate it if you could help me in my software development journey."

"[8:39] Can I set some time to talk about areas I'd like to grow in and how you could potentially help me as a mentor?" If the response from the potential mentor is positive and they're happy to chat, then you can try it out with one or two meetings and see if both of you would like to continue.

[8:59] If the response from the potential mentor is negative and they are unavailable, don't give up. You might not succeed on the first try, and that's completely understandable. Some people are very busy. Just keep going, repeat the process, and find another potential mentor.

[9:22] Once you have a mentor, you want to try interact with them on a regular cadence. You can discuss and agree on the time commitment with your mentor. As the mentee, you have to own and drive the scheduling and meetings. Set some defined goals to work on with your mentor. These are great motivators for constant improvements.

[9:46] Do the work, follow up, and commit to it. Give feedback on the advice you receive from your mentor. Always come to your mentorship meetings with questions. Part of being a mentee is being energetic and clear about what you are seeking to understand.

[10:06] Once someone agrees to be your mentor, there are a number of things they can now do for you. As examples, they could set time aside to respond when you have questions. They could do some code reviews on your code. They could pair program with you.

[10:24] They could send you resources, such as books, courses, and podcasts, that align with your goals. A mentor can be an incredible resource when it comes to finding the best courses, books, sites, and projects. Instead of having to figure out everything from scratch, you're getting a competitive advantage by getting the landscape of resources laid out to you.

[10:50] They can be an accountability buddy for your goals. Your mentor can help you plan your career. They can also go deeper in the discussions of technologies, languages, frameworks, basics concepts, and so on. Finally, your mentor can help you stay focused in the complex world of software.

[11:12] Remember to always be cognizant of your mentor's time, and be as prepared as you can when you attend your mentor/mentee meetings. Always be on time for your scheduled meetings with your mentor. Offer to pay for coffee if you can, and do anything else you can to say you appreciate their time.

[11:34] Over time, you will want to review if the mentor/mentee relationship is still working, to constantly check if it's still providing value for both of you. That's it on how to find a mentor. I hope, from this, you have learned different approaches you can try out to get yourself that much needed mentor you are looking for.

[12:02] I've been mentored. I've been a mentor. I've observed software developers around myself grow through mentorship. Having a more formal mentoring relationship can help you grow faster and in a more focused way. Whether you're just out of university, just graduated from a coding bootcamp, or you're a self-taught engineer, you need all the help you can get to become the best developer you can be.

[12:28] Many people out there are willing and able to help, and they want to share their knowledge. All you need to do is ask. Thank you. My name is Tanaka Mutakwa, and I work as a VP of Engineering at Names & Faces.