As a newbie in the tech industry, every single day is an opportunity to learn and re-learn. It is a day to act and make a step or a day to fail, an opportunity to relearn a concept and rise up again. This is my journey thus far, of victories and failures, a whole journey that assures me I'm alive. I'd like to share some insights to fellow newbies in the field that this may guide us as we grow and build our brands in the industry.
This week I had a chance to join two spaces discussing about mentorship and the pressure on newbies in this industry, and this is what I learnt:
Mentorship
Mentorship is a developmental relationship where one person helps another make significant/positive changes in thinking, knowledge and work.
It involves a mentor and a mentee.
Mentor is well experienced in their own field and supports a mentee in their own journey.
Mentee is the one who requires help and support in their field of work/study. The one who receives support/guidance from a mentor.
Stats Kenya
- Out of 100 university students , 73 do not receive mentorship out of their classrooms. This is shocking, right?
- 89% of people who receive mentorship proceed to mentor others. This is promising and shows how mentorship matters.
As we try and find mentors as newbies, this is what we should look for in a mentor;
- Cheerleader Someone to cheer us and who celebrates with us our small wins everyday is key.
- Resourceful One that provides the necessary resources we need to help us grow in the field.
- Listener Someone who is always ready to listen what we have to say.
It is our duty as mentees to face the fears, engage our mentors and grow/make small milestones each day.
Pressure
As newbies we got so much pressure, everyone has their reason as to why they joined this industry. Be it the love and passion like me or money for others or any other reason, this are the advices i got on pressure tech newbies.
We must understand this is a career and it takes time to build knowledge and skills. Tech is an ambiguous and dynamic industry with demand on the rise. There is pressure to deliver and to get somewhere.
The industry experts we admire did not win in a day. They've toiled to be where they are. Each one of them has their own journey, so we also have to own our individual journeys.
Let's join the field with an open mind, appreciate our journey, trust the process, start somewhere and use it as a stepping stone to get to where we want to be.
Giving up is not an option to take. It's about zeal, give yourself motivation and just play your cards right. Everything is doable and so let's master the skills and learn everyday.
I hope the insights i've shared help us all as we work on building our careers in tech. All the best!
#web development #frontend #programming