Ask HN: Who was your greatest mentor? - Kevin_S
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BlackjackCF
I've been lucky to find a mentor to work with at every job I've been at. I
guess I was just really receptive to learning. I don't know if I can say I had
a "greatest" mentor at any of my jobs, because I learned a great deal from
each of them - through their good and bad qualities.

1) My first mentor taught me everything I knew about developing good code
habits and staying humble. However, I think I learned the most about people
management from him. He was extremely polarizing as a person. He would go to
the ends of the earth for his people, but the moment that he felt he had been
slighted, you'd be on his shit list. I learned how to foster loyalty and good
rapport with your coworkers and employees from him - and also how dangerous it
was to take everything at work personally. I thought he was a great manager in
some ways, but he burned a lot of bridges.

2) My second mentor was one of the best engineers I ever worked with. It
wasn't because he was the fastest or the best programmer. It was because he
knew how to bridge the gap between engineering and product. He also knew the
importance of documentation and moving at a steady pace. He cared a lot about
developer sustainability and ensured that sprints were always scored and paced
correctly. I really wish I had, had more time to work with him.

3) The third mentor I worked with was actually one of the most brilliant
engineers I've ever met. He turned me onto a lot of new technologies and
stretched me to my limits, because he moved at such a blindingly fast pace.
However, I think I learned from him the most in his negative aspects. He
thought planning was a waste of time, and would just dole out work as quickly
as he could so he could get back to engineering. Working with him also meant
toeing the line to burnout. From him, I learned how important it was to foster
good relations with all departments in order to get things done, instead of
just relying on one or two rockstars to pull things forward by sheer force of
will.

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kzisme
I'm always curious how people _find_ mentors.

I have heard of a few services out there where you are able to book "x" amount
of time with someone to talk about work or whatever (basically a mentor).

Since finishing up school I've worked with 2 developers, and both have been
great and I've learned a lot.

I don't think these sort of relationships count as "mentors", or at least it
just felt like co-working. So, I guess you could say I'm still looking? :)

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mtmail
I go further and wonder if anybody advertises themselves as mentor. I've seen
requests, also on HN, "I'm looking for a mentor" but never seen an answer and
never seen anybody saying they have a mentor. I mean it's a time investment
for the mentor with no direct benefit. Am I overlooking something?

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kzisme
I've seen some people mention it in the past, but if their experiences doesn't
match up to your own I'm not sure if it would work out very well.

Most instances I think people find mentors while at work.

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forkLding
Books are great mentors, although shorter, they are a quick and condensed look
at how things should be done

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muzani
Real mentors do personal, 1 on 1 sessions specifically with you. Books are
great but a mentor is a step up. Usually the good mentors expect you to have
already read all the main books in the industry.

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muzani
It's hard to say who was the greatest. Very different. All the good mentors
give you one on one time.

I would say my thesis supervisor was the best. Taught me the whole process of
engineering, how to actually build an epic project. How to break down a huge
project into components and how to make sure each component works.

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bsvalley
My dad. Then, surprisingly, my father in law. 2 different styles, 2 different
perspectives about life. The combination of both is gold.

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MuffinFlavored
Care to elaborate? Polar opposites always make for a good story.

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bsvalley
It's the same story as "rich dad poor dad" from Robert Kiyosaki. My dad is
very detail oriented, not a risk taker and all about security and education.
My in law is the complete opposite. Guess who made a lot of money in life ;)

