Hello, in this article I want to share my thoughts about mentoring, consultancy and what it mean for both sides, either for Mentors and for Juniors.
I often suggest my help to interested people in issues, where I have experience, and can help to develop skills of person who asked about it.
After some time I faced with problems in thinking many people, who glad to have people that can help them with their problems. And I want give some recommendations to Junior developers about your conversation with your mentors, how make it efficiently, for win-win productively cooperation (if I can call it so).
A couple of words about my motivation.
My first experience in mentoring happened unexpected for me. Head of Front-End Department just led to me one Junior Developer and asked me to be the mentor for this guy. I agreed, and my experience is began.
Two advantages which I discovered is:
Mentor learn new by answering on questions:
Sometimes I had interesting questions, which referred subjects where I had some gaps in knowledge. I took a time to prepare information for detailed answer. So I learned a lot of subtleties, which I would learn not now or even never (for example didn’t learn something because of changing tech. stack)
Develop communication skills
I never complained about my communication skills, but when you had to explain something to person, who hears about your topic first time, it’s not simple sometime. People often can’t understand each other correctly, everyone has his/her own perception system, which built during life, and one word can be perceived another, than speaker means. (This is one of reason list, why I prefer to make calls instead text chatting, if I explain something remotely).
But besides it, mentor develops his/her skill formation of their thoughts. I often catch me on thought, that I know some specific thing, but can’t explain it clearly, shortly and specifically. The better you present your thoughts, the more pleasant it will be to work with you, which will have a positive impact on your career.
Structuring own knowledge base
While I was teaching my first Junior developer (which became my friend later), for close knowledge gaps, I developed small course for our technology. I asked some exercises as homework, with discussion about solutions. For efficiently studying, I had to design plan of tasks. I can’t say, I didn’t understand what I know, but due to this I beheld problem points in my knowledge and build new own plans for fix these gaps.
Yes, I always knew, what I know good, what is not so good, but sometimes, when your student (if I can call that such) asks you hard (for you of course) question, you quickly find problem points and have huge motivation to fix it.
Languages practice
Not native speakers would understand me, I like to chat with developers and people of another social groups which corresponds my interests, this is pleasant practice of language (English in my case).
One day I answered on couple of questions for one guy from EU, and later I offered to be mentor for him. We both were glad and still have discussions sometimes.
So, where I convince you, let's go ahead :-)
My recommendations for Junior Developers
Respect person that mentors you.
Really, it sounds obvious, but sometimes it isn’t so. I met people who asked me just resolve their problem right now, because he/she/etc faced with it right now, and need salvation right now. And the dialog could be look like at:
“hey, I need to edit one cookie, how I can do that?”
Please, don’t do such things.
Search for study, develop yourself for future and today.
I believe, majority of you want to make amazing things. You want to grow, upgrade and be more powerful in your skills. So be interested, be hungry for knowledge, understanding of principles, expansion of your horizon, awareness. It will give you the opportunity to do more and better.
Sometimes you can ask about help in current situation, but I recommend you to remember it, when problem is resolved and everything is ok. Analyze problem and experience which you got from senior developers. Don’t afraid to ask new questions, mostly people like it.
Be curios
This point follows from previous one. Be curious, workout passion to know, how works your stack. How it actually works, if you use React, don’t afraid to look source code of it. Even if you can’t understand logic, you can learn new approaches, or find new patterns, maybe something will seems you wrong, and you can do new conclusions about your understanding technologies. Finally you can turn to community with new questions and it would help you.
Don’t afraid to ask questions.
Don’t afraid to look "stupid", only toxic people can laugh at your "stupid" question. All we were at the beginning some time. And can be there again (who knows).
Your success depends on yourself.
If you want to be in-demand specialist. If you want to be person with wide experience who can share interesting ideas. Work on yourself. Day by day, stably with strong self-discipline. Effective self-development is separated science. I tried many things and learn something new all time. New approaches, new strategies, new methods.
It relates to all, strategies of self-development, goal setting, time management.
Don’t dive too deep
You can have burning eyes, you can be charged by enthusiasm to do something. Achieve new top. But if you will work too hard, you can lose your interest in set goals before. Train to keep balance between rest and self-development.
Develop self-learning skill
Ten years ago self-education was something new for many people, but now it absolutely obvious thing. You can be mentored by some person, but mentor can direct you, point out your mistakes and give pieces of advice for you. But mentor never will bring you to your goals. This is work for you.
Have a rest
Often on interview you can hear question "how do you rest?", it explains, can you rest at all, because tired person - unhappy person, with low productivity and without passion. All we need rest, and it good when person can do it :).
Conclusion
In this article, I listed points superficially. For conclusion I can add next recommendations.
Don’t afraid to be mistaken. Don’t perceive criticism too close, but try to make useful conclusions from it (if it constructive of course). Be friendly, and appreciate opportunities that you have. We are living in amazing time, you can learn so many skills, free and at home.
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