Pythian Group

Liveblog of the Professional IT Community Conference session Mentoring: It’s for everyone

Ways to learn:
Audio
Visual
Kinetic (doing it)

Everyone learns differently, but most people learn with some combination of all these three.

However, you can also learn by training [that's the truth, I learned a LOT by writing the book, even things I knew, I ended up needing to research more].

Ways to train:
Explanation
Observation
Demonstration
Questioning (Socratic Method)

What is a mentor?
noun: experienced and trusted adviser. It’s not just someone who teaches, it’s someone who advises.
experienced person in a company, college or schools who trains and counsels new employees or students.

verb: to advise or train (someone, esp. a younger colleague).

A mentorship is a safe place to ask questions.

A mentor is a trainer, but a trainer who also is a professional advisor.

Finding a mentor
Someone…..
- you respect/admire
- works with similar technology
- has a compatible personality
- you have a good rapport with

Being a mentor
- Teach technical skills
- Provide advanced technical/design guidance
- Model and teach professional skills
- Be interested and invested in the [student's] career