Mentoring - the dream of a lifetime
Tags: mentoring, teaching, learning, selfdevelopment
Published: 2019-09-17 18:59:19

Well, gotcha with that little title haven't I? It is a dream it was a dream! 

Enough of the utter nonsense I've written let's start on the real part.

I started my programming journey when I was 15 years old. Got interested at school and started to write my own programs and games. Two years later did web development at home improving my skills and eventually did my first paid website (which was a complete mess). Soon after the little job I had stopped programming for 6 months and started working as a cashier in a gym in the summer so I can make a quick buck for school. Great! I got the money, last year at school came and I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. Yes, I did programming, but I never viewed is a job opportunity rather as a hobby. While still in school, I thought I would give a programming job a try and applied for only one interview. They contacted me and gave me some tasks and PSD(HTML and JS) on mail. I was shocked at first and tried to google how to do HTML(i was making PHP websites, but at styling, I was not that proficient) and found a tool on making a site from PSD(this is how I thought site were made). Confident in my converter tool I put my files into my USB stick and went on the interview. It was quite embarrassing as I wasn't aware that I went with a death trap in my pocket. As I was giving the USB stick to my interviewer I told him what I've done and then they immediately said I wouldn't cut it. I was kinda sad and thought that I wouldn't become a good programmer so I quit searching.

![scared](https://media.giphy.com/media/SiNHGx0XwvwJyjjjjS/giphy.gif)

# The mentoring dream process

Eventually, I graduated and got myself a job as a waiter. I was really into it like I tried to learn how to get and serve plates faster etc. But I was thinking to myself is this really where I want to be. After six months I couldn't stand it anymore as I started to not like my job. I was doing it to make the buck and get home. Soon I started to look for other jobs at other areas and thought on applying for the last programming job I tried as they were still searching for candidates, but this time with PHP. At first, I was scared, that I shouldn't bother even applying, but with the help of self-development and my parents, I tried it. (There was a lesson I learned that I should and you should try to remember! You should keep trying no matter the cost. And never accept "NO" as an answer.).

Three days later I got a phone call from the interviewer and was very excited. They tested my skills and hired me. I was very excited to start the job then and I am still excited working at [HTMLBurger](https://htmlburger.com/). Here is where my career as a developer started. All the past programming experience was to build the base structure and here is where I started on grinding and developing it.

After I got the job they assigned me a mentor. I was pretty excited as I was going to learn new stuff and I did. That is when I started to dream to become a mentor! I was making great progress at my projects: meeting deadlines, gaining experience and most importantly building trust with my Manager, Mentor, and colleagues.

Two years in my workplace and I've learned a lot. Started making projects with (Laravel, Vue, React and AWS) and these projects let me think more outside of the box and learn Linux and Shell. And it helped me a lot.

Three weeks ago, the main Mentor at work quitted their job and it meant that the spot is clear. But I wasn't inclined at first, over they two years I stopped dreaming big about being a mentor.

![head explode](https://media.giphy.com/media/fnpy7E5Sm1LSOvHvu8/giphy.gif)

Soon I was offered the job and was like "no,no,no i am not ready". Then I had a talk with my Mentor and my Manager, which I think of as close friends, and got me motivated to fulfill my dream and thereafter I was READY.

Next day went to mentor a mentee left from our Main mentor and at first, it was kind of an awkward experience: 

- At first, the socializing was awkward :D
- Then I tried to tell him not to do rather than advising him why and what is considered better.

But a week into it I got the hanging of it and as I am teaching, I reinforce my knowledge and heck of it even learn something from the mentee. 

And now I am going to say what I've learned from the past three weeks. Never stop learning, if you have the chance to start mentoring (or even help people online with StackOverflow, or help a colleague).

Thank you for all the readers which reached to this point, this is my first like Post like ever and I am really glad I got this off my chest.

# So stay humble and strive to learn and DREAM BIG

![strive to learn](https://media.giphy.com/media/ZoAa7lsmym6UE/giphy.gif)