I wish I had a mentor but I am really confused how this program will help me in the best possible manner. Can anyone suggest me how mentoring has been helping him and what can be the best effort from my side If I ever opt to go for one.
Currently I am freelancing most of my projects without even adding the necessary tests which I think are the most important.
Mentoring is really about having someone to meet with once a month to see how your progressing towards becoming a better developer. The first thing to be clear about is they’re not a magic pill, you still need to be putting in the effort. I think of it a little like a personal trainer, I achieve more simply by having someone else aware of my proficiency, giving me advice on how to move forward and checking in on my progression. I’d achieve less without a mentor but I’d achieve very little if I relied on mentoring alone.
Another huge benefit is simply widening your net of contacts. These mentors are really deep in the community. They know about the rails world and more practically who you need to be meeting to achieve your goals. If you decide you’d like to stop freelancing and move into a more permanent position these guys know what you need to do to get where you want to be.
I’d say your going to get the most out of mentoring if your already committed to becoming a better developer. If your already putting in the hours of learning and reading on best practices a mentor is going to accelerate your progress. If your not putting in the hours of learning they can certainly get you started in the right direction.
Hope that helps. I’ve been very happy with the mentoring but I realize it’s not for everyone.
Thanks @DeviousDuck. First I thought I would join a company where I would get a senior developer who could mentor me. Even after 3 years of working I could not find one proper mentor. I think a thoughtbot mentor might be helpful after reading about them on quora and the experiences of others via apprentice etc.
It is very important to have one who could atleast tell you if you heading in the right direction. I just wanted to hear from people who are already enjoying these services with thoughtbot.
Hey - just wanted to share that we have launched a Coaching service separate from Upcase.