The Importance of Mentorship for Software Engineers
If I could go back in time to the start of my career as a Software Engineer, one piece of advice I would give myself is this: reach out to the people you look up to. This could be anyone — a manager, a peer, someone more experienced, or even someone more junior. Mentorship can come from anyone, regardless of their role or title. It’s not just about seeking advice from those above you; it’s about learning from everyone around you.
Start with You
I believe that everyone knows something you don’t. While it would be great to be able to ask each person to teach you something new, it wouldn’t be very productive. Instead, a more effective way to grow is by focusing on your strengths and weaknesses first. Begin by seeking honest feedback from those around you. This will help you build self-awareness. Once you develop this self-awareness, you’ll be able to identify areas where you can improve and seek the right person to help you grow in those specific areas.
It’s also helpful to look at the people you admire and pinpoint exactly what it is that stands out about them. Sometimes it’s the entire person, but more often, it’s a specific trait or skill. Maybe it’s a teammate who always asks insightful questions during meetings, a peer who is great at optimising product performance, someone who is amazing with CSS and is always able to match the Figma design exactly, or an engineer who can consistently spot potential security vulnerabilities in merge requests.
How Did You Get So Good at This?
When I see someone with a skill I admire and want to learn from, I never ask directly, ‘Will you be my mentor?’. That question can feel heavy and loaded, and it might put unnecessary pressure on the other person. Instead, I prefer a lighter, more casual approach. For example, I might say: ‘Hey, I’ve noticed that you’re really good at X. I am curious about how you got to this point, and I’d love to learn from you. Would you be open to a 1:1 where you share your approach?’.
Most people have benefited from mentorship throughout their careers and often enjoy paying it forward. However, not everyone may have the time or headspace to guide you. When you approach someone, always keep in mind that might say no — and that’s perfectly okay.
You’ve Got a Mentor!
If they say yes, congratulations! You’re both going to learn so much from each other. Every mentorship I’ve had — whether through formal programs like the Engineering Mentorship Program at HackerOne or more informal arrangements — has been incredibly valuable to me, my mentor, and even my team.
I always make sure to remind myself that my mentors are taking time out of their already busy schedules to help me grow. So, it’s important to respect their time. You are the owner of your own career, which means you need to take full ownership of the mentorship too. The more time you invest, the more value you’ll gain.
Make It a Success
To make the most of your mentor’s guidance, start by setting clear expectations from the beginning. One thing that has always helped me is preparing a short list of areas I’d like to improve and discussing them with my mentor. I also have found it valuable to share how I learn best. For example, I learn best through doing and repetition, and have a short attention span, which means I can’t focus for more than 45 minutes straight without a five-minute break. Before each meeting, I like to write down the main key points I want to discuss and share them with my mentor ahead of time. This can help them, especially if any topics require research or preperation in their part.
A successful mentorship is built on open communication, trust, and feedback. I believe it’s important to reflect every few sessions on how things are going. Are both you and your mentor satisfied with the sessions? Are you still aligned? Is there anything your mentor would like to see more or less of from you? And vice versa — is there anything you’d like to see different from them?
Mentorship is truly teamwork, and both you and your mentor benefit from it. Once you start to see yourselves as a team, you can win together.
I want to hereby want to express my gratitude for my mentors so far in my careers: Jos Ahrens, Chris Bechtum, Jeroen Bron, Frederick Bruinsma, Rafael Carvalho, Steven Elzinga, Robin Leeuwerke, Miray Mazlumoglu, Sebastiaan Pouyet, Brian Reigersberg, Isuru Ranaweera, Bert Sinnema and David Yuen.
