It ain’t news that software engineering is an incredibly complex, and lucrative field. Engineers who are just starting out in their careers may have difficulty understanding how to navigate their careers. Software engineers need someone they can trust and meet with to get career advice. This is where mentors can help. Mentorship is incredibly important to the development of an engineer.

“Find a great mentor who believes in you; your life will change forever!” –Bill Walsh

Software mentors have high-level knowledge of software engineering, their own software engineering experience, and a vested interest in helping their mentees grow and succeed. As beneficial as the mentor-mentee relationship is, a small portion of employees have mentors. Only about 37% of employees have mentors.

Software engineers, especially full stack developers, are incredibly busy and their time is valuable. Finding an engineering mentor that not only is a good fit for your engineering career but has the time and desire to mentor is difficult. If you can find the right mentor, you can accelerate your career.

What is Mentorship?

In order to find the right mentor for your career, you need to fully understand what a mentor relationship looks like. Mentorship is a relationship between a more experienced engineer and an engineer who is looking to learn and grow. This relationship typically lasts years and can be beneficial for both the mentor and mentee. Mentors and mentees usually meet about once a month.

Informal mentorship happens frequently in any working environment. Code reviews are an instance where informal mentorship occurs. Software engineers are able to learn and improve their skills when going through a code review. When working on a project as part of a team, software engineers work closely with experienced team members. Less experienced engineers can learn from more senior engineers throughout the course of a project. These are both examples of informal mentoring.

Establishing a formal relationship with a mentor can ensure that you get the help that you need to push your career forward. Going out and finding a mentor may seem like a difficult task, but it will help you in your career development.

Why Should I Find a Mentor?

It may sound like a lot of work to find the right mentor for your career. Software engineers may be tempted to figure everything out on their own. This could be a potential mistake in any engineer’s career. A mentor can accelerate a software engineer’s career.

Knowledge Transfer

You likely do not have all the answers to perform in your position to the best of your ability. This is where a mentor can come in handy. Software engineers who have been through many of the same obstacles that an engineer is facing can help you navigate through those obstacles. You can learn how to tackle issues from your mentor.

More Motivation

Engineers who have mentors are more motivated in their careers. A years-long study showcased the value of mentorship to aspiring engineers. Female engineering undergraduates who were paired with a female mentor felt more self-assured, more motivated, and less anxious as compared to undergraduates who had no mentor or had a male mentor. Additionally, the undergraduates were more motivated to look for engineering jobs after graduation and less likely to drop out of their courses.

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” –Oprah Winfrey

Better Business

Mentor relationships not only benefit employees, but they benefit businesses as well. When employees grow in their roles they contribute more to the company. This has real-world benefits for organizations. 67% of businesses reported that their productivity increased because of mentoring programs. Additionally, 55% of businesses said that mentoring had a positive impact on their profits.

Businesses should be investing in mentorship programs. Mentors can also help organizations retain more talent. A study on Sun Microsystems looked into how mentoring impacted retention rates. Employees who did not participate in the mentoring program had a retention rate of 49%. Retention rates increased to 69% for mentors and 72% of mentees that participated in the mentorship program. This study showcases the importance of mentoring to improve company retention rates.

How to Find an Engineering Mentor

Engineers may struggle to find an engineering mentor. Software engineers do not have the opportunity to develop in-person relationships as frequently, as many engineers now work remotely. This can make it more difficult to find a mentor. According to research from Olivet Nazarene University, 61% of employees with mentors said their relationship with their mentor developed naturally. When you cannot connect with a mentor in person, it may make it more difficult to find a mentor who is a good fit for your needs.

You cannot plan to find your mentor by developing a relationship naturally. If you are serious about your career, you may need to put effort into searching for a mentor. Engineering team leaders should encourage their engineers to seek out mentors. There are a number of places that software engineers can go to find an engineering mentor.

Alumni Association

Connecting with software engineers that have graduated from the same university or college that you have attended is great for your career. You can build relationships with professionals who are in the same field and industry as you.

Alumni associations are a great place to find potential mentors. You will already have some common experiences with your mentor, as you both went to the same university or college. This can be a great way to build a relationship that can turn into a mentor-mentee relationship.

Professional Associations

Professional associations bring together experienced, software engineers. There are a number of professional software engineering associations that you can utilize to find mentors. For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has an online mentoring service that allows engineers to search for mentors. Engineers that are IEEE members can quickly and easily find experienced engineers that are open to mentoring.

Mentors in Tech help students at smaller, less well-known colleges and universities connect with tech industry mentors that can help them launch their careers. Mentoring Club is another organization that connects software engineers with potential mentors from some of the top companies in the world, such as Amazon.

Leaders in Your Company

Seeking out mentors in your company is a great way to find the right mentor for your software engineering career. Senior leadership will understand your role and the technology that you are working with. This relationship can help you solve any potential issues that you are experiencing. It may help your career at your company as well.

Finding and connecting with the right mentor at your own company is not always easy. There could be thousands of software engineers at your company and you may not know how to connect with them. Many engineering companies have internal mentorship programs that are dedicated to connecting senior engineers with less experienced engineers.

If your company does not have a formal mentoring program, then you have to take matters into your own hands. You can ask your colleagues if they know any experienced software engineers who are interested in mentoring.  Your colleagues may be able to connect you with a potential engineering mentor.

You can also reach out to your supervisor to see if they know someone inside or outside of the company that would be interested in mentoring you. You may not want to ask your direct supervisor to be your mentor. If you interact with them daily, they may not have the best perspective when it comes to your career development. Your supervisor could be too close to the situation.

Online Communities

The internet brings together people from all over the world, including software engineers. There are a number of online communities that software engineers can utilize to find a software engineering mentor.

Plato is an awesome platform that you can use to find a mentor. For a monthly fee, you get access to mentors and also a platform that helps manage the process. I see this as one of the quickest ways to fast-track the process of getting an engineering mentor.

LinkedIn is a great place where you can potentially find a software engineering mentor. You can search and connect with talented software engineers. Additionally, you can post content right on LinkedIn. This can create conversations that lead to eventual mentorship.

Some software engineers have been able to find mentors by looking for them on Twitter. There are a few hashtags that software engineers can utilize to find engineering mentors. There are even days on Twitter that engineers have dedicated themselves to finding mentors. Using the hashtag #CyberMentoringMonday may help you find a dedicated mentor.

Online forums are another place where software engineers gather together to discuss their industry. This is a great place to potentially find a software engineering mentor. You can get to know forum members by commenting on posts and creating your own posts for other engineers to interact with. By participating in online forums, you can build relationships. You can even post asking for an engineering mentor.

There is no one right way to find an engineering mentor. You should be open to whatever method works best for you. You may find your mentor when you least expect it. Mentorship is a rewarding experience for both mentors and mentees.  The right software engineering mentor can help any engineer accelerate their career. Organizations should set up formal mentoring programs to improve both retention rates and profit margins.

There is no one right way to find an engineering mentor. You should be open to whatever method works best for you. You may find your mentor when you least expect it. Mentorship is a rewarding experience for both mentors and mentees.  The right software engineering mentor can help any engineer accelerate their career. Organizations should set up formal mentoring programs to improve both retention rates and profit margins.