Alejandro Trying to be self-made can be deceptive, tedious, and unnecessarily complicated.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is learning coding in isolation without the right mentor.
Imagine yourself to be a garden; a coding mentor can be likened to a gardener. The mentor will nurture you, guide you, and help you grow.
The right programmer mentor must have been through whatever stage you are. They are usually up the ladder and have navigated through various challenges.
All they do is provide you with valuable insights and lend you a helping hand. They drag you up the ladder without and help you navigate the niche, learn, unlearn, and relearn for you to become a kickass programmer.
The best person to learn from has gone down the same road you intend to travel. Good things are hard to come by, and the same goes for finding the right coding mentor.
But if you are serious about improving your programming and technical skills, there are easy steps to help you find the right coding mentor.
This guide offers seven easy steps to help you find the right coding mentor, regardless of your skill level. It is not compulsory to have only one mentor. You can have multiple mentors as long as they have what you want and cope with the requirements. You will also find the benefits of having a mentor and other new ideas.
It’s time to find the right mentor; let’s do it!
STEP 1: Figure Out What You Want
A mentor is someone that has successfully navigated through the path you intend to travel. It isn’t just about finding people that write code. It is about getting someone that has exactly what you want and is ready to provide you with insightful and dynamic thinking.
But before you start to look out for a mentor with a like mind, you must first figure out what you want. You must determine if you’re going to be like other coders or create something unique. It is best to go for a skilled mentor in your preferred niche, programming language, etc. They will help you to move in the right direction and monitor your progress.
Related Posts: 25 Examples of SMART Goals for Programmers
STEP 2: Identify Your Prefered Mentor With Insightful and Dynamic Thinking
Finding mentors is helpful, but it is easier said than done. To identify the right mentors for you, you need to get up and move out of your shell. Get to interact with various software developers, programmers, and other tech individuals that you’ve placed on your watch list.
You can find an open platform with the caliber of people you want as mentors. Feel free to find insightful software developers and interact with them. The first contact is an excellent way to initiate and develop a perfect personal relationship. If you are lucky to live in a decently sized city, there are high chances of several events happening each week. Feel free to attend and present yourself as a quality developer or a passionate one, at least.
STEP 3: Interact With Experienced Software Developers
It makes no sense to sit or stay in solitude when you need a mentor. For mentoring, information is vital, and knowledge is power. You might not get as much information as you need if you don’t interact with the right set of developers.
You can consider informing them about your proposed journey into the programming and machine learning world. However, you must ensure that you do not bore them, sound desperate, or feel entitled. It is best to be neutral, passionate, ambitious, and open to learning.
Note that you don’t have to open the mentorship talks on the first interaction. You might have to give time for your proposed mentor to know you better and settle with you. Asking for a bit piece of advice can be a good heads-up. You can proceed to politely request contact addresses like email, telephone number, or social media handles.
STEP 4: Shoot Your Shot!
Now it is time to fire the big shot and take the giant step. The first thing you must do before making a mentorship approach is to put aside all your ego. It is vital to be as humble as possible. People tend to overstate their ability when talking to people with more experience, especially when they need to fall on the good side.
Start by embracing that you are a newbie in programming, and you need proper mentoring to up your skills. Politely make your intention known in the best way possible. You can schedule a physical meeting, if possible. Alternatively, you can reach out to them via other means such as sending mail or reaching out on social media.
STEP 5: Be Clear on What You Want
When reaching out to your proposed mentor, be clear on what you want. Be clear that you want them to mentor you through your journey as a programmer. Let them know you need to tap from their wealth of knowledge, and you need their advice to start your career.
Consider coming up with questions like “how would you approach learning if you were in my house? How did you come this far in programming?” and lots more. Don’t forget to hit the nail on the heat and state the point with whichever approach you choose.
Many established developers love to meet with starters and impact knowledge. Be bold enough to say how you want the mentorship to be and the skills you intend to build.
STEP 6: Continue The Dialogue and Build The Relationship
The dialogue about mentorship is not a one-off thing. It would be best if you pressed on until you establish a fruitful relationship. Be committed to learning from your mentor; be a person who always drives to get the best. You can volunteer to help them on existing projects, take a course (if they offer one), and talk and talk about exploring the resources available in the programming industry.
Word of Caution
Anyone that accepts to be your mentor does not intend to have their time wasted. So, it would help if you tried to make good use of every time available to you. Also, it is essential not to abuse any relationship you form with your mentor. Avoid bugging them with calls, emails, or seek answers to questions relating to their personal life.
The idea of taking up a mentor is about learning and teaching on a one-on-one level, rather than roaming about the internet to gather information. It will also help you to connect and network with other people within the industry. It is ok to ask for help or connect with your mentor, but it is best to learn how to do it correctly.
Impressive Ways A Programmer Mentor Can Help You Grow and Accelerate Your Career
Finding a mentor is not some machine learning. However, mentors have ways of helping you become a better developer, improve your code writing, and help you become better overall. Are you wondering how having mentors can enhance your career, coding skills, and your ability to utilize learning resources?
Let’s find out below.
1. Mentors Usually Challenge Their Mentees
Mentors help you with the process of self-development. Programmers do many amazing things like keeping log user data, building apps (like the medium app), etc. Learning to write a code language, work on a project, and learn is a never-ending industry cycle. But having a mentor will help you to get it better. Coding becomes much easier when you have someone to challenge you on doing better. Mentors help you to find your undiscovered voices by pushing you to do more.
Mentors serve as a tremendous outside influence that facilitates your learning by challenging you for instance, they can force you to set up a code you haven’t attempted before, work on a project you have been avoiding, and make you do other things you wouldn’t have done alone.
2. Learning One-on-One From A Mentor Beats Group Learning
Most developers start their careers with free group learning and online resources. Although it is also helpful, its effectiveness is nothing compared to the wealth of knowledge you get from mentors. Mentors will usually provide answers directly to their mentors rather than offering a general answer in group teaching.
3. Mentorship Helps To Remove Isolation of Programming
One of the most prominent mistakes programmers make is staying in isolation. Coding appears very much like an isolation career. Even with group works, you still spend more time on your PC alone. However, having a mentor will help you mitigate the isolation and help you to figure out how you can be productive without isolating yourself.
4. Help You Review Your Code and Improve Your Career Potential
Having someone to help you review your code is something you might not achieve with machine learning. A person can only improve when there is someone to evaluate and correct. Even if you have a job, your mentor still helps you improve your code and get better. So, you will be sure about the quality of your codes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a programming mentor do?
A coding mentor helped a lot of programmers move to the top of the ladder. They inspire you, help review codes, improve your career potential, network with other people in the industry, and ease the entire learning process.
How do I find a mentor for programming?
Finding a mentor is not entirely hassle-free or like a medium work that requires average force. All you need to do is figure out what you want, interact with other developers, identify prospective mentors link up with them, and express your desire to make them your mentor.
How do I become a software developer mentor?
Becoming a person can become a software mentor; he must have established himself in the industry. You can mentor junior developers when you have the right experience, knowledge and are willing to teach.
Is code mentor safe?
Code mentor is safe as long as you know how to manage and handle the relationship professionally. It is best to filter with details and not meddle with personal affairs, except you are invited.
