"Tech is fun!", so they said. But getting in, I realized it wasn't as fun as people said it was. I think a much better term I would use is "Tech is wide and confusing". And yes, it is! If you're like me 7years ago, planning to start your tech journey or already started off, I'm sure you can relate with this - it is difficult to pick a specific path to focus on, it's difficult to find the exact resources that point you to the right direction, and even worse, it's difficult to avoid people who would want to exploit you and your skill for their benefit.
Do You Need a Mentor to Succeed in Tech?
For me it's a yes. If you can, get one. Having a mentor increases your chances of success in tech. Here are some reasons why you should have one:
- Your mentor helps you stay focused and make the right decisions: Frankly speaking, being in tech can be difficult with new technologies and trends evolving daily. Having a professional in the technology industry as a mentor helps in keeping you updated on the latest trends and technologies and their impact. And when you need to make some important decisions regarding your tech career, your mentor can share his wealth of knowledge and experience with you.
- Your mentor can connect you to opportunities: Because you are new to technology, you might not be aware of opportunities that exist to help you grow. That's where your mentor comes in. The best part is he/she can help you get those opportunities because most of the time, they have a better understanding of the process. They will provide you with the tools and resources you need for growth and development. Your job would be to just listen to them and trust their instinct.
- Your mentor can help you avoid major tech pitfalls or mistakes: Your mentor has more experience than you do and might have already made lots of mistakes while navigating his/her career in tech. Learning about such mistakes from your mentor can help you avoid them and navigate your tech career even better.
- Your mentor helps you accomplish your goals: Written down your goals for 2023? Looking at them, does it feel like you can’t accomplish them? A mentor can be of great support here. Trust me, your mentor can help with loads of helpful tips that can help you accomplish your goals in 2023.
- Your mentor provides support: Your journey in tech can be really frustrating especially when you're doing all you can, learning as much as you can, but it feels like it's not working. Having a mentor who would be there for you during tough times like those can help you get through them. Your mentor would easily notice when and where you are lagging and would push you in the right direction providing as much.
But is having a mentor compulsory for you to succeed in tech? No! Like me you can succeed in tech without a mentor, but you should also be willing to walk through some of the storms alone.
At Microsoft, we want to help you succeed in your tech journey. We want to provide as much guidance as we can to help you. This was the motivation behind this series. Currently in the 6th episode, we answer questions we get from tons of people like you who are starting off their tech career. We also created a learning collection for you to help you find the required resources to grow in your tech journey. Click here to access the collection!
What should you be looking out for in a prospective mentor?
- Look within your circle: There are probably tons of professionals within your circle who would be willing to mentor you. Find someone who would most likely be interested in you or willing to support you, then reach out to them. My best advice is to find someone who loves empowering people and loves seeing them get better than they are.
- Reach out to them: When you find someone who you think would be a great mentor, reach out to them. When reaching out please take note of the following:
- Know that they are busy with work or mentoring other people, so please save their time. Don’t just send single lines of text and expect to hear from them before going on.
- Never ask them for mentorship the first time you reach out! Take some time to build a relationship and show them your worth. There are tons of people who also reach out to them for mentorship, so be different and stand out. You could even offer to help them with work or tasks, or even offer to work on a project with them, that way you both gain experience and get closer to them.
- Never feel like they’re snubbing you when they don’t respond back to you as you think they should. They have a lot on and might have so little time to respond to messages, so be patient. You can send reminder messages at intervals, so your request goes to the top of their chat.
- Have a convincing reason why you would want them to mentor you. Never end your message with “I would please love you to mentor me” or “I would love to be like you in future and learn from you”. No! Show them why it would be worth it spending their time with you helping you grow.
Here’s a sample message you can send to a prospective mentor:
While strolling through LinkedIn in search of opportunities, I came across your profile and learnt you have lots of experience in software development, something I have also looked forward to doing. Please would you love to share some possible projects I can work on and add to my portfolio?
I know you’re busy with work, but please would appreciate it a lot if you could help a growing fellow like me.
Thanks,
Japhlet Nwamu
We wish we can mentor every one of you, unfortunately we can't. But we know this series can. So keep following along to learn more.
Additional Resources
Start your tech career in 2023 and go from zero to hero
Can I become successful in tech without a computer?
What opportunities do I have as a student?
Do I have to write code to be successful in tech?
How to stay focused and build your tech career
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