Becoming a mentor

I was recently asked if I would take on being the mentor for one of our fellow #sqlfamily members. I was extremely humbled at this request and immediately said yes. I’ve mentored a few others in I.T. over the past few years, but this is what I would call my first big mentoring project. Mentoring someone starting in I.T .feels like it wouldn’t be that hard, but considering how to help an established data professional get to the next level feels much more challenging.

I’m always up for the challenge and I’m lucky enough to have several mentors I can call on for help with this if I get stuck. Being at the stage of my career where I get to pay it forward like this is truly amazing. I have had my fair share of challenges and successes that I can draw on to help give guidance to others.

What I’ve found talking with my new mentee is that my experience in corporate America has been much like his. There are a great deal of parallels from what I went through and what he is currently going through. I’m really looking forward to being a mentor to my friend and to us both growing through this process.

I encourage everyone to have a mentor that you can call on to help you with whichever area you feel you need to progress and grow in. I also encourage those of you who have knowledge to share with others to consider becoming a mentor to others.

My boss recently took on a huge endeavor to help mentor more than 50 individuals. He has been doing this awhile and can handle that type of load but for me, I am looking forward to working with my one mentee and if others will have me, take on a few more down the road.