In order to learn as much as you can about your future career path, it’s wise to have a mentor by your side. A mentor is someone who can provide wisdom and guidance to support your personal and professional growth and development. Some mentors may cross our path for short times during study or employment opportunities, while other mentors may provide support and encouragement across a lifetime! If you need that extra push in getting yourself your own mentor, then read on to find out why having a mentor can prove extremely beneficial in the long run.

Think of all the knowledge you’ll gain

Having your mentor talk about their career path can be extremely helpful and can provide insights you may not have considered. By having them share their experiences, you’ll gain info on what kinds of things worked for them on their career journey, including the mistakes they made and the lessons they learned.

They can answer your questions

One of the best ways to seek out knowledge is to ask an expert, so your mentor is the perfect person to ask all of your burning questions. They can provide first-hand experience of what life is like in your chosen field, and can give you real-life insights that can help you understand what work is really like outside of university.

Outside insight into your strengths and development areas

Sometimes you may not truly understand your own strengths and development areas and the skills which you need to improve. That’s where a mentor can come in and help you identify the areas you need to work on, as well as clarifying the skills you already have and how you can use them to the best of your advantage.

Future connections and networks

You may not know it now, but your future mentor may just have the kinds of connections you're looking for. Seeing as they’ve been in their area of expertise much longer than you have, they will no doubt know of people who may be able to help you get an interview for a particular place or even land a job.

Provide support

Not only can mentors be a sounding board for mentees, they can also provide encouragement and support as you take chances throughout your career journey. They can be a vocal or background supporter who can help motivate you to achieve your goals.

If you have any questions or need extra support, we're here to help you anytime in any language. Simply start a chat with us via the home screen of the Sonder app.

Information sourced from University of the People.

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All content is created and published for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice.