3 Lessons I Learned Mentoring in Software Development

Eric Hale • June 26, 2018

What makes one mentor better than another?

I have been a software developer for 15 years. I have been involved with development teams in some way or another for most of that time. As software development has evolved from a single person pounding away on a keyboard in a cubicle to teams of people with interconnecting tasks to make working software systems, mentorship has become more important than ever. Here are a few lessons I have learned along the way about mentoring in software development:


1) Keep in mind what has helped you the most.


I have always appreciated when a mentor has taken the time to not just tell me how to do something but also explains alternate methods and compares / contrasts the methods to demonstrate the decision-making process at selecting the one they feel is best. To me this is the difference between teaching someone to code and mentoring someone in their career.


2) No question is stupid.


You always hear this but even a small eye roll or sigh can demonstrate that you don’t believe this. When being asked a question, it is important to make sure you understand the question. Ask questions back to understand what isn’t working right or what is trying to be accomplished. Walk through your answer and explain how you came up with the answer / solution you are giving. All of this leads to a better understanding of the answer and engages the person asking the question.


3) “Just Google it” isn’t the best answer.


As technologists, Google is indeed the oracle for all knowledge. Many answers from how to code to why that code doesn’t work can be found if you know what to search. The challenge around giving the answer ‘Google it’ has to do with the word ‘it’. Most times the key to success to using that particular tool is knowing what terms and phrases you should be using. Take the opportunity to show the different phrases that can be used, review pages and explain why not all content is created equal.


You should seize the opportunity to mentor in problem solving beyond the development environment. Mentoring is just as rewarding as it is beneficial for you and helps you hone your own skills by challenging your own understanding of something. You may just be surprised to find yourself becoming the one mentored along the way.

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