On Mentoring Someone

A few years ago, my work set up a mentorship ‘speed dating’ session. I wasn’t feeling very sure-footed then (much like now, I suppose), so I signed up to be on the mentee side. The people I spoke with said, “I would expect you to be on the other side of table.” I guess I looked the part, and I had been there long enough. That sat with me, so when opportunity came up to do a mentorship program like that again, I signed up.

As of a couple of months ago, I am now a mentor with an assigned mentee. In our first meeting, he said he was new to his role, and felt really uncertain as to whether he had the capability to do well in his job, as there were just so many things to learn. That’s when I realized that I can likely be a decent mentor. He was needing some assurance, and I can do that.

In today’s chat with the mentee, he mentioned that in his new role he’s got more autonomy to work on issues. Weirdly, he’s not quite comfortable with that autonomy. At least not yet. I assured him that was normal and ok.

Additionally, he mentioned that he signed up for a web development bootcamp, and he knew it was a hard commitment, so wanted some assurance that he’s making the right decision. I can’t say that it was the right decision, but as someone who has also thought “should I enroll in a bootcamp so that I know what I’m doing around here”, I couldn’t blame the guy for wanting to do that. I told him that I think if he has the time to do that on the side, then it is probably valuable for him to learn some of the vocabulary and challenges that come with the tech stack.

So far, I enjoy the mentorship role and it’s reminded me that I’ve come a long way.