Ask HN: How do I find a mentor outside my company?
5 comments
I'd like to know this too. Best I've managed to do is find someone highly successful that will listen to me rant about my frustrations every few months and be sympathetic.
Personally I feel like my lack of the de facto dues card that is formal education, 15 years in the same job that doesn't translate to anything, and geographic location (central Indiana) makes me effectively 'worthless' to those that do have the power to help me in one way or another which gives them no actionably reason, outside of generosity, to actually offer any sort of help be it advice or other.
I've explicitly asked people in positions to help for any sort of advice, guidance, off-hours low-pay internship, un-skilled entry level work with a wage I can satisfy my currently bills on in one of their companies/projects just to build different experience for my resume, etc. and nadda. I get an ear to vent to, which is absolutely valuable, but it feels like since I'm unlikely to come up with a billion dollar idea or can't jump into something with a Masters level plus skillset that I'm more of the occasional curiosity than a worthy project.
Personally I feel like my lack of the de facto dues card that is formal education, 15 years in the same job that doesn't translate to anything, and geographic location (central Indiana) makes me effectively 'worthless' to those that do have the power to help me in one way or another which gives them no actionably reason, outside of generosity, to actually offer any sort of help be it advice or other.
I've explicitly asked people in positions to help for any sort of advice, guidance, off-hours low-pay internship, un-skilled entry level work with a wage I can satisfy my currently bills on in one of their companies/projects just to build different experience for my resume, etc. and nadda. I get an ear to vent to, which is absolutely valuable, but it feels like since I'm unlikely to come up with a billion dollar idea or can't jump into something with a Masters level plus skillset that I'm more of the occasional curiosity than a worthy project.
It's unclear what you want to achieve. Is it making a living without doing that same job?
You don't need a billion dollar idea nor education, nor being where hip startuppers are.
Solve someone's problem for money with as little tech as possible until you can live off that income. Rinse and repeat.
You don't need a billion dollar idea nor education, nor being where hip startuppers are.
Solve someone's problem for money with as little tech as possible until you can live off that income. Rinse and repeat.
I recently wrote https://staysaasy.com/career/2021/10/16/mentorship.html about mentorship
My narrow advice would be to make a list of 20 questions you’d like to ask someone. Then reach out to people on LinkedIn you think could give you good answers and ask them if you could pick their brain for 30 minutes. Then ask those questions and say thank you a lot.
My narrow advice would be to make a list of 20 questions you’d like to ask someone. Then reach out to people on LinkedIn you think could give you good answers and ask them if you could pick their brain for 30 minutes. Then ask those questions and say thank you a lot.
I clicked expecting more context and found a great mentorship opportunity: please provide more context when you’re asking for advice.
and
https://thecenter.nasdaq.org/mentor-makers
and
https://www.score.org/find-mentor
All are free.