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Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

#11

Post by jacquesm »

edw519 wrote: post #4

Forget user groups. Forget craigslist. Forget the internet. 1. Do stuff: Pick up projects. Do open source work. Volunteer. 2. Network: Meet people in person. "Finding a mentor" is a misnomer. You don't "find" a mentor any more than you find a girlfriend or spouse. A relationship with someone who can mentor you is the byproduct of everything else you do. Get out there and get busy. You may be surprised at the people w…

> "Finding a mentor" is a misnomer. You don't "find" a mentor any more than you find a girlfriend or spouse.

That's not true, I've found at least two people on HN by simply approaching them and asking them if they were willing to teach me a concept and both of them agreed readily (and have shown considerable patience with me).

If there is one place where simply asking people that are skilled if they would please teach you pays off it's here.

Re: Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

#12

Post by phugoid »

You're at a disadvantage compared to the nerds who have been sitting behind a computer since they're 8 years old.

Instead of competing with them, try to use your background in aviation to wedge yourself into the software business. I suggest researching lots of smaller companies that make aviation-related software. Everything from aircraft systems to websites for pilots, iPhone applications related to aviation, tools for GA pilots, etc. There may be people out there who would love to have a software enthusiast pilot on staff, or consulting.

I work in flight simulation, and one very interesting job I've seen people do is test pilot / test engineer. Your combined background could make you a great candidate for that sort of role too. There are a dozen simulator manufacturers around the world, mostly in US, to look up.

Re: Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

#13

Post by bryanh »

I agree with a lot of advice here, especially those that point out that your own initiative is most important, but I would recommend my site: http://everymentor.com/ A lot of folks around Hacker News are probably aware of it (because I bring it up in almost every thread.. :-) but you might get lucky and snag someone that is interested in working with you.

Re: Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

#17

Post by cadr »

jacquesm wrote: post #5

If I were you I'd try to use my cross domain knowledge (a pilot!) to position myself in a niche where there are few competitors, I have a hard time imagining there would be a lot of people that can call themselves programmer/pilot (though on HN for sure we have a few). That seems to be your unique selling point, so try to get as much traction there by recycling your old skills for as much as they're worth. As for men…

This is a great suggestion. Ask yourself "as a pilot, what annoys me or what are tasks that I have to spend my time on". Maybe a site for matching up people up to fly together to events? Or logging your flight hours. (I am not a pilot - I have no idea what I'm talking about.)

Re: Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

#18

Post by mipnix »

cadr wrote: post #17
jacquesm wrote: post #5

If I were you I'd try to use my cross domain knowledge (a pilot!) to position myself in a niche where there are few competitors, I have a hard time imagining there would be a lot of people that can call themselves programmer/pilot (though on HN for sure we have a few). That seems to be your unique selling point, so try to get as much traction there by recycling your old skills for as much as they're worth. As for men…

This is a great suggestion. Ask yourself "as a pilot, what annoys me or what are tasks that I have to spend my time on". Maybe a site for matching up people up to fly together to events? Or logging your flight hours. (I am not a pilot - I have no idea what I'm talking about.)

Thank you. The logbook idea is brilliant. That was the most annoying thing about flying.

Brilliant.

Re: Ask HN: How do I find a mentor?

#19

Post by maxawaytoolong »

At this point in time, I would suggest joining the Apple Mac/iOS community. A macbook + iPod touch + developer subscription will get you access to a great community, loads of iTunes U videos about CS and programming from Stanford and other great schools. The community is pretty great compared to others. You have a system where you can learn all aspects of contemporary software development, from scripting languages, to web sites, to handheld/mobile development, GPU development, systems administration, and so forth. You will also be developing a particular skill set that is highly in demand for employers, and one in which you can start immediately making money on your own selling apps. The unix and scripting language skills are also transferable to most other UNIX jobs, if you need to find work.

I've not always been a Mac/iOS dev, but this is now the advice I give to newbies, including my own brother.

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