Not too late.
Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
41–50 of 68 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#42Why would it matter? Mentors just want someone who learns quickly and works hard. They want someone they can watch avoid much of the pain they went through to acquire their skills.
Most mentors are heavily biased, they might save you time and help you avoid some common gotchas but they won't teach you critical thinking.
This person wasn't asking for opinions on mentors.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#43I've mentored people into their sixties.
It's mainly about finding the right relation. Nobody wants to mentor someone they don't see something good in. Most will mentor someone who "gives back" through aptitude, attitude, or gratitude.
Also, try to find an online community or forum. Answer questions from those newer than you, abd ask questions of those more experienced. If you put in the effort to help out, you will likely be helped out in turn. Unevenly and sporadically, but on average, it's true.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#44I think everyone here is being a bit cavalier when they say "it's never too late". Sure, just like it's theoretically never too late to start a company or even run for president. In reality, mentors tend to gravitate toward younger mentees. There are various reasons for this. Younger folks tend to be, in general, more enthusiastic and less knowledgeable and experienced -- fertile ground when you have something to give as a mentor. Obviously not an absolute but definitely something to consider when you are older yet still looking for a mentor. I think there is also something alluring to mentoring younger folks you think are talented that has to do with getting the chance to help have a hand in some outsized success the young mentee might experience. Ostensibly younger folks have more time to achieve this success so perhaps they seem like a better bet to invest time in as a mentor however unconscious that decision may be on the mentor's part. I'm well into my thirties and do plenty of mentoring but I wish I had mentors of my own still. They get harder and harder to find every year of age and experience I get and I find it to mostly be due to the reasons above.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#45How do you go about finding a mentor? I would think the biggest challenge is finding a rhythm with a suitable mentor. Is there such a thing as a programming big brother/big sisters thing? hah
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#46I think it would even be fine to ask for help here.
You wouldn’t have to just ask for a mentor which is a pretty broad request, but could start by asking a couple of focused questions.
This would require a little careful thought about what are the biggest or next obstacles you’re up against.
Is it about the fastest way to get up to speed on a tech? Are you already good at backend work but trying to figure out the resume chicken and egg problem?
The point is just that, who here could give you some good advice might depend on the question, and it might be a useful excercise anyway to refine your focus on how you want to proceed.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#47I think everyone here is being a bit cavalier when they say "it's never too late". Sure, just like it's theoretically never too late to start a company or even run for president. In reality, mentors tend to gravitate toward younger mentees. There are various reasons for this. Younger folks tend to be, in general, more enthusiastic and less knowledgeable and experienced -- fertile ground when you have something to giv…
Yep.
There is something in the human heart that falls for people who are young enough to be their children. That same awe-shucks people get when they see a baby is the same feeling one gets when they feel the desire to mentor someone.
In an industry where there isn't many people older than 30, it's going to be much harder to find someone who looks at you as the child they never had.
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#48Books are good mentors
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#49When I hit a wall in my early 30s, after a decade of testing and writing software, I went back to school and got a bachelors degree in CS. It has proven to be a good decision. It was not easy to manage the logistics, and it cost a small fortune in loans to maintain a family and mortgage through that, but it was worth it. I started out taking night classes at community college and eventually went back full time to finish up. If you just want to branch out a bit a mentor may help but this is such a broad field it’s hard to teach yourself all the basics, especially once you have financial pressures and need to keep working. Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: Is it too late to find a mentor after 30 for a software developer?
#50My best advice from a fellow 30 year old: Try to find an in-home caretaker that also knows programming. They're uncommon but invaluable when you find one. My caretaker is a young man currently in school for computer science. He comes by once a day to check on me and gives me brief programming lessons while heating up my soup, helping me up the stairs or doing jigsaw puzzles with me.
you are my favorite person on the internet