25th April 2007

Quest for a Mentor

posted in mentoring |

It’s kind of ironic.

I’ve been thinking about finding a mentor for quite some time - for about six months now, since I started discussing with a coworker about her mentors and what it means to her.

So, being me, I Googled around. I came across this article by Penelope Trunk on her blog - I recommend adding her to your reader - I’ve added her to my blog roll (like she needs it!) because she’s very insightful. Oddly enough, I also managed to come across a book review (and a chance to talk to her!) at I Will Teach You To Be Rich - another site I recommend.

Needless to say, it was an epiphany. I’ve got a corporate job that I landed through networking - I got in with no degree because I knew a couple guys, and they knew I could design and code. It was entry-level web work, which I didn’t mind, but my foot was in the door.

Since then, I’ve expanded my knowledge of CSS, PHP, XHTML, XML and other TLAs. I’ve learned Usability skills, and expanded my business knowledge. Made friends in Marketing and IT. I even managed to network to the right man that helped me get into Corporate - where I am today.

Currently, I’ve contacted two people about being my mentor - one being my former boss, because he is gung-ho about keeping your career as a priority (I’ve read it elsewhere, like in the comments at I Will Teach You To Be Rich:

Don’t let your loyalties stand in the way of your career.

It’s kind of powerful and dangerous at the same time. Loyalty is important to me - but at the same time, every boss I’ve had understood when I quit - why I was quitting. Better opportunities, better chances at moving forward.

I’ve also sought out a Financial Planner - we’ll see how this works out.

Anyone have tips for searching out mentors, or stories of how they met (or became) a mentor?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 25th, 2007 at 5:47 pm and is filed under mentoring. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 4 responses to “Quest for a Mentor”

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  1. 1 On April 25th, 2007, dong said:

    I don’t disagree with the statement, “Don’t let your loyalities stand in the way of your career”, but I think it’s also more gray. Sometimes a little loyalty pays dividends, but other times it gets in the way. I value loyalty, but expect company to value it back.

  2. 2 On April 26th, 2007, zen said:

    I agree it’s sort of gray, and when one extends loyalty to a company it should be acknowledged. Unfortunately it’s not always the case (as with the corporate scandals that have cost a number of loyal employees their pensions).

  3. 3 On April 27th, 2007, Jeff Hunsaker said:

    Came across some interesting discussion surrounding mentors I thought you might find helpful.

    Jeff…

  4. 4 On April 27th, 2007, zen said:

    Jeff,

    Thanks for the link! It never hurts to have more information, and I love how Ryan also feels the extra step needs to be taken - a mentor can teach a lot more than a book ever could!

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