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Pick
a Mentor |
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Have
you ever listened to an interview with a successful musician,
movie star, or athlete? Successful individuals in these
fields - and many others - almost always start out by
citing people who influenced them, who guided them, who
instructed them, or who supported them as they worked
to reach their goals. There's a name for these people:
they're called mentors.
Sir Isaac Newton, the famed apple-attracting father of
classical mechanics, once wrote in a letter to fellow
English scientist Robert Hooke: "If I have seen further,
it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." The same
could apply to any number of highly successful engineers.
Children of doctors often follow in their parents' footsteps
to become doctors themselves. The same goes for lawyers,
engineers, or other professionals.
Children often follow the path of their parents because
parents can counsel their children on the many decisions
encountered along the way. In this situation, the parents
are acting as mentors.
"One of the best things you can do to maximize your first
job experience is to find a mentor - someone in the company
who can shed some light on the inner workings of an industry
and also who takes a liking to you," says the ASME Career
Life Guide. "Similar to a favorite teacher, a mentor can
help you develop and excel as an individual in your career."
If you are thinking of choosing a career path different
from other members of your family, you may want to consider
finding a mentor who can advise you on the many decisions
and opportunities you come across. Even if you already
have a family member or a friend mentoring you, it can
be nice to have input from a number of different people
on a difficult decision. Yet, it may be difficult to find
such a person in your day-to-day life.
To this end, ASME offers its members the eMentoring program
(www.asme.org/Jobs/Mentoring/Ementoring_Student_Members.cfm).
This program - free to ASME members - matches a young
engineer who has been
out of school for five years or less with an experienced
engineer who shares similar interests. Contact is initiated
through e-mail and progresses according to the needs
and
comfort level of the young engineer. |
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