There are a few reasons I want to mentor others, and why I am expanding my reach now. For much of my career, I have tried to maintain a culture of learning and sharing whether I am in a leadership position or not. (I've not always been good at this. Sometimes I've done the opposite of this, to my shame.) I have been keenly aware of the mentors in my life, and as they have given their time to me, I want to give my time to others.
I also love software development. A lot. I get excited when people are making cool things. (I really love the "maker" community as well, which is sort of outside of software development.) When I find people that I can share my love of making with, I feel good, and new things often come out of that.
This year has been quite a rollercoaster in my life and my wife's life. There have been a lot of good things, and quite a few really difficult things. This has caused me to reflect on the 2^5 years I have lived so far, and to think on what I want the next 2^5 years to look like. So I have started to plan for what I am calling the "Next Exponent." (I like interesting numbers, even if I have associated arbitrary meaning to them.) My long term goals over the next 32 years of my life, if I am lucky enough to see them, include mentorship.
This year, I have also become increasingly aware of a number of large-scale problems, in the US and abroad. The tech industry, which I have found much enjoyment in, is not fully open to a large number of people. Most of my career, I have worked with white men. Most of the people I have interviewed for tech positions have been the same. There have been some non-white men, and very few women. I am convinced that I, and the tech industry, are missing out on some brilliant minds and diverse ways of thinking by either outright discrimination, or implicit bias, or even just the lack of positive encouragement of these people. Imagine the "mitdenken" that could arise from a more diverse and inclusive culture within tech. I want to be part of building this culture, and working toward a better future for everyone through it.
Practically, I am still working out how to expand my mentorship. I am working on it in a very hands-on way at my work where I lead a small team. I don't know exactly how it will go, and I'm guaranteed to fail at some point, but given my reasons for mentoring in the first place, I have to try.
Are you looking for a padawan? Please take a look to my linkedin profile to know a little more about me:
https://ve.linkedin.com/in/miguel-salas-03663010b
Seriously, I'm looking for a mentor to help me, I want to continue to learn and grow.