Everyone is looking to improve their skills and get better at what they do, whether in a technical field like software development or a softer field like writing. But how do you do that? What steps can you take to flourish in your career? The first step to improving your skills is to look for a mentor.
Whether you’re a full-time developer or planning for a startup, technical mentorship is a crucial ingredient if you want to grow in your field.
But how do you know if your mentor is helping you improve and reach your goals? This blog will share how you can make the most out of your technical mentorship, why a technical mentor is essential, and how to improve the relationship with your mentor.
The Need of a Technical Mentor
The mentoring program involves connecting with someone who has been through the same path that you’re on or someone who specializes in your field.
As per the data, 76% of learners believe a mentor is crucial to growing, but only 37% take a step towards it.
But how do they help? Here are a few benefits of having a technical mentor by your side:
1.Adds New Tools To Your Learning Bucket
A mentor helps you learn new tools to develop your technical skills.
For example, switching from developer to project manager usually involves mastering different tools for gathering requirements, creating a roadmap, and communicating effectively.
Mentors are available to help you through these critical shifts in your career.
2. Helps You Learn Best Practices to Handle Complex Issues
If you’re having a hard time with a specific challenge, your mentor can give you perspective to overcome the problem.
Having a mentor can speed up the development process by showing you what coding standards and best practices are used in the industry to reduce the time you spend solving a particularly tricky problem.
3. Works with you during your growth period
It can be tough to comprehend what you want out of life. You may have no idea what career path to take, and it isn’t always easy to understand how your choices will affect your future. Having a good mentor at hand is invaluable because they steer you towards the direction of your dreams so that you can reach them faster!
Knowing the benefits must have helped you understand why you need a proficient mentor with technical matters to help you grow in your profession. But, how can you make the most out of every mentor session? We have outlined some steps for you to use in your journey!
Technical Mentorship: How to Get the Most Out of It
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a developer, you need someone to help you out.
Setting the pace for learning is critical to the process. Here are some tips to help you grow professionally under the guidance of your mentor:
1. Learn about yourself
What do you want to get better at? Why are you connecting with a technical mentor? You need to answer some hard questions before you’re ready for this.
Make a list of growth areas and make sure it’s specific. For instance, if you want to be a web developer. Make a list of things you already know and what new things you would want to learn. In this case, knowing HTML, CSS will be a plus point.
By doing so, the mentor will have an easier time putting together a learning plan that is best for your needs!
2. Be an Active Participant
As a learner, one of the most important things you need is to take the initiative. You should present yourself as someone always willing to learn new skills and gain the confidence to apply them in your professional life.
To be an active listener in the program, you will have to put in more effort than just listening to the speaker. You have to respect the speaker’s opinion, not just agree with it, and ask questions to get a deeper understanding of the speaker’s point of view.
3. Prepare Yourself for a Doubt Session
Once you are finished with your session, make sure to go over your session notes afterwards. Sometimes, we don’t always fully understand what we’re doing the first time we look at it!
Make a note of your doubts and arrange a meeting with your mentor. This will ensure that you understand the topics covered in training. More importantly, it’ll make you feel comfortable asking questions to eliminate any lingering confusion.
4. Ask for feedback and share feedback with the mentor
Feedback is essential when learning something new. If something in the session environment doesn’t help you remember well, let your mentor know to make adjustments for future lessons and be more helpful for you.
For instance, being a coder requires a fundamental understanding of writing code from scratch. If one cannot get this aspect down, it becomes tough for them to continue their coding journey, and they often lose motivation quickly.
Be open to feedback. If the mentor sees that you are trying your best, they will not hesitate to include feedback. Learning how to take criticism can make a huge difference in your career because it shows maturity and that you want to better yourself as an employee.
5. Set realistic goals and don’t over pressurize yourself
Don’t over-pressurize yourself or let your goals be too unrealistic. For instance, data structures and programming language Objectives are crucial to know if you want to earn the ‘programmer’ title. There will be many obstacles to overcome, but don’t become disheartened when the going gets tough in the beginning! Set achievable goals; keep practicing, and ask your mentor for guidance on doing better.
Are You Still Looking For a Technical Mentor?
CodeQuotient has made finding a mentor easier than you might think! Whether you are a founder or want to be part of the IT industry, mentors can help you pave way for your career.
You don’t have to worry about the expenses. CodeQuotient courses are free or have nominal charges to help you learn better.
Apply here to be part of our community or email us in case of any queries.
