5 tips to find — and cherish — mentorship
About five years ago, a college friend of mine was in a bit of a crisis. Matt had gotten into trouble for smoking in his dorm room. Over a coffee and a walk, he told me glumly that as a result he had been barred from taking a coveted internship in Silicon Valley. But the university’s office of community standards had sent down one strange punishment, too:
“They told me I have to find a mentor,” he said.
“A mentor?” I asked, dumbfounded, a la George Costanza in this iconic “Seinfeld” episode (“I still don’t understand this. Abby has a mentor?”).
“A mentor for what?” I asked him.
Matt laughed. “For life, I guess.”
Jokingly, I told Matt I thought he really did need a mentor — a rookie smoker innocent enough to get caught was a delinquent in need of reform.
Though the idea of mentorship initially bewildered me, I now believe every young person should have a mentor, or a few. I went on to have several throughout many different phases and aspects of my early 20s — in entrepreneurship, economics, journalism, theology and the arts. Some were incredible, others perhaps disappointing, but I’m beyond grateful for all of them. They helped me discern my career path and advance toward my goals, personal and professional.
For this week’s column, I caught up with Matt and other recent grads about how mentorship has been a turning point in our lives and careers. Here are five tips on finding, keeping and cherishing mentorship.
This is an excerpt of Renee Yaseen ’s Post Grad column. Read the rest for free on washingtonpost.com , or sign up to get the full edition sent to your inbox twice a week .?
Read more from The Washington Post