I need a mentor. I’ve had many mentors in the past. They’ve contributed to my personal, professional and technical development. They include my parents, my undergraduate faculty advisors, the manager from my first job, my graduate advisor, my colleagues and my boss from a few of the places I’ve worked. These people have all help me along at different points of my career.
But I’ve seem to have come to a place where I don’t feel like I’m getting a lot of value from my past (and ongoing) mentors. I seem to be spending more of my time mentoring. This is okay, but I feel like I’m in a rut. I just don’t know where to go to find a mentor. Maybe I need to place a "personal ad". I tried a career coach, I’ve tried looking in my professional organizations, I am finding that I am further along in my career or heading in a significantly different direction and they aren’t interested or aren’t capable of providing me the advice I need.
Desparately Seeking Professional Mentoring
Peter J. Denning’s September 2002 column in Communications of the ACM, Career Redux, provides an interesting look at career development. The focus is on professional mastery and ongoing learning. The most important factor is finding good teachers.
Where to look for mentors?
Denning mentions developing and participating in professional networks. He suggests developing a circle of "well-connected friends who can advise you" I am just unclear about where to look for professional guidance and learning about software entrepreneurship in Toronto. There are a large number of organizations and associations in Toronto, but it is unclear where I might find a mentor.
What are others doing for their career development? Where do you find mentorship?