I had a thought a few weeks back: "Can you mentor without being an expert?". As a proud member of the ever-growing Tech Community, I went to Twitter and asked, openly, for their opinion.
The results were surprising, although not shocking: three resounding yesses. Actually, I had been mentoring a few students as a beginner. This question wasn't about intention, it was about validation.
See, there's a plague roaming around: the Impostor Syndrome. Everyone is susceptible to it, newcomers and masters. It may be an old friend of yours, or hiding just around the corner.
I'm a beginner myself. And mentoring was a double-edged sword to me. It felt amazing to see my guidance be worthy. Many of the people I instructed were simply months behind me or not as fortunate. And yet, it felt terrible to be unable to respond to their expectation when the question was beyond my capacity.
That's where my thought arised. In reality, there is no shame in saying "I don't know" and handing the person a gigantic stackoverflow thread from 2011. It is foolish to assume that I can have all the answers. It is foolish to assume that an expert would.
Mentoring goes beyond the technical, it's also about trust and connection. A beginner has the upper hand here: no one is closer to a student than a Junior Developer (except for another student... and hell, get mentoring from them too!).
A student may be unaware of the true value. For now, their mentor may just be a clever friend with the right answers.
For the mentor, the value is crystal clear. No knowledge is as well consolidated as the one you can teach.
Still, mentoring isn't about having the answer. It's about being however many steps ahead of someone and deploying your knowledge with empathy.
In short, it's a win-win. It's a must for both. As a student, seek beginner mentors (or other students!). If you have been recently employed in tech, share your story and provide for the people trying to enter the field. Your aid will be a familiar face.
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