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Ask HN: What’s the best to find a mentor in the tech field?

3 points by leyth ↗ HN
What’s the best way to find a mentor for someone who’s trying to get into the tech seen?

I am set to graduate in one year with a B.Sc. degree in Application Development.

I have bunch of questions and I need someone to guide me.

9 comments

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tomtompl
Are you prepared to pay or you need to find pro bono one?
leyth
I am not sure if I have to means to pay for a mentor at this point.
tomtompl
Are you sure you need mentor though?

I mean there's a lot of developers who didn't even attend to any University and they become very successful.

You have whole internet to learn from

leyth
And they probably had good mentors or someone who guided them through the process...I think.
tomtompl
not everyone, I am self-learned, I worked in different countries, never had problems with finding and keeping a job
brudgers
Don't pay a mentor. A person who takes money for mentorship is a grifter not a mentor. A mentor provides advice and opens doors because they believe it is the right thing to do, a relationship built around money is built around money.
rf15
>I have bunch of questions and I need someone to guide me.

I do not know your specific questions, but: You usually have to walk the way yourself and research stuff yourself. Most of the questions can probably be answered by googling and finding Stackoverflow/etc. answers. Most guiding help can also be acquired that way.

For the more complex issues there's of course always Ask HN and others, as you've already figured out.

brudgers
The way to find a tech industry mentor in the industry is to go work in the industry. Keep in mind that professors can also be mentors and a person need not have only one mentor because different people have different areas of expertise and networks and opinions.

For what it is worth, most of the time answers to questions are not a substitute for experience. If I asked you, "What is your school like?" the answer would not give me anywhere near the knowledge of an actual visit and a visit would not give me anywhere near the knowledge of actually enrolling. Knowing something "in your bones" is different from knowing it in your head.

If you really want to find a mentor in the field right now, go out and meet people in the field face to face and be very respectful of their time. Maybe you won't get a mentor in the next year, but you will develop valuable skills that will serve you later when seeking mentors.

Good luck.

leyth
Thank you, that was a thorough response.