Honestly Mentorship is easy. I had thought it would be harder, really. I am now unofficially a mentor to several recent grads, and officially a mentor to one. They're doing great. You do have to teach people to think for themselves, but they need a boost. It makes me angry that teachers and employers don't seem to think new people need a boost in the industry. I will bet that someone helped them, and/or many people helped them. They must have taken this for granted.
Part of mentoring is helping them be sure of their own abilities. As a teacher, always tell them how to teach themselves. Always have them use the software. Even though this is tedious, it is crucial. Don't use the software in front of them and make them watch. Best thing you can do for someone is take a deep breath and give them your time without judgments. And we were all young once. It's important for young people to have choices and to find themselves. When it comes to professional language, they may not know the words, but they understand the concepts. Helping them learn a vernacular for talking about software and production processes is quite useful. And really-- it's just the packaging. There's a language in each industry, a language in colleges and a language in different companies. One can't be expected to know these languages right away-- so they are smarter than they appear.
Those who stay at a company for more than two years often have amnesia about how they started. This is truly the industry's loss. This is why the industry can't have young, talented minds. They fail to make their company more approachable.
Now that I know all this, I can help talented people find work. They're smarter than I used to be anyway, because they're the next generation. They just need focus, etiquette and a push to complete a little challenge.
How did I learn to teach? Careful observation of what has helped me and what has not. But I still believe this is a community responsibility and everyone can teach a little. This industry would be more creative if everyone took on this role.
Part of mentoring is helping them be sure of their own abilities. As a teacher, always tell them how to teach themselves. Always have them use the software. Even though this is tedious, it is crucial. Don't use the software in front of them and make them watch. Best thing you can do for someone is take a deep breath and give them your time without judgments. And we were all young once. It's important for young people to have choices and to find themselves. When it comes to professional language, they may not know the words, but they understand the concepts. Helping them learn a vernacular for talking about software and production processes is quite useful. And really-- it's just the packaging. There's a language in each industry, a language in colleges and a language in different companies. One can't be expected to know these languages right away-- so they are smarter than they appear.
Those who stay at a company for more than two years often have amnesia about how they started. This is truly the industry's loss. This is why the industry can't have young, talented minds. They fail to make their company more approachable.
Now that I know all this, I can help talented people find work. They're smarter than I used to be anyway, because they're the next generation. They just need focus, etiquette and a push to complete a little challenge.
How did I learn to teach? Careful observation of what has helped me and what has not. But I still believe this is a community responsibility and everyone can teach a little. This industry would be more creative if everyone took on this role.
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