Last week, I hosted a girl from my old High School at my job with the purpose her of showing her what I do so she could figure out whether my industry/field is right for her. I think she learned a lot and it was very satisfying at the end of the week to hear that she sees herself doing what I do. To me, that means she learned and didn't get bored.
She was adorable and reminded me a lot of myself at her age, but with a lot more poise and confidence. I'm really looking forward to seeing her professional progression throughout the years, because there's so much potential there. While I think she got a lot out of the experience, which was my goal, I never expected that I would learn so much, too. Here are some of the things I learned:
1. I love teaching. I really enjoyed going through the different areas of what I do with her, and explaining how I work day-to-day.
2. I'm ready to manage people at work. I've done a bit of this in the past, but I'm ready to take somebody under my wing and help them grow. 3. I'm not pursuing my passions. Throughout the week we talked a lot about the importance of going for industries that you love. I'm not doing that.
4. I'm not as weird as I like to think I am. At least, my mentee didn’t seem to think so.
5. Younger generations entering the workforce are going to kick all our butts. Or maybe just my mentee. She was such an incredibly fast learner. It was impressive.
6. I’m qualified for a lot of awesome jobs. We did some job searching so we could identify some of the qualifications she might need when she enters the workforce, and I found tons of amazing positions that I’m qualified for. This sparked an entire weekend of self-reflection and random job applications. More on that later.
In conclusion, while mentoring is a great way to “give back” and help future generations find their way, it’s also a great way to re-evaluate your life and learn about yourself.