The last 20 years have transformed the way we live and work, due primarily to the rise of internet accessibility and remote job opportunities. This is part of an accelerating rate of technological change, which promises to alter nearly every aspect of our lives.
If you’re considering attending college, starting a new career, or making another significant pivot, these changes can seem daunting. Having the perspective and expertise of an industry veteran, educator or other mentor can help you make good decisions, learn valuable skills, and position yourself for long-term success. A mentor, someone who’s seen trends rise and fall and learned hard lessons, can point you toward the best path forward.
What is Career Mentorship?
The right mentor can be a game changer for your career path by connecting you with resources, and providing industry research, for example. Career mentorship can take a few forms, depending on where you are in your life and profession. Many colleges have career advisors and experts to help guide you while you are a student, or even as alumni. If you’re already passionate about your career but looking to move forward, you may be able to find someone willing to assist you at your workplace or in your industry. Here are some of the benefits of having a good mentor:
Career Mentorship Offers Perspective and Industry Insights
Whether you’re looking to advance your career or move into a new one, having an advisor is extremely helpful. The primary assistance that a good advisor can offer is perspective. Even if you have been in your industry for years, an advisor or career counselor may have insights about the past, present, and future of it that you don’t have, and they can help you build skills that will offer lasting value. A mentor can also help you temper your concerns and fears about possible industry changes, as they have probably seen the industry go through major shifts in the past and can help you embrace them.
Career Mentorship Helps with Skill Building
At a time when technology seems poised to change everything, career mentorship can help you understand both the goals and limits of technology. For example, you may want to improve your skills as a software developer but are concerned about automation reducing the value of these skills. A mentor can help you identify key areas where automation is likely to have less of an effect, or help you learn how to utilize automation to improve your productivity and show your value to employers.
Career Mentorship Offers Connections and Resources
Many people value opportunities for career development but may not work at a company or be in an environment that offers it or know how to identify what resources are available to them. This is another key benefit of career mentorship, as mentors have deeper knowledge and a network of connections to help their mentee improve their skills, seek accreditation, and build connections of their own. This is one of the primary reasons a mentor-mentee relationship is so common in the business world — many careers are built through relationships, and having a mentor is a great way to establish them.
Many early-career professionals crave growth opportunities but don’t know where to start. Mentors can open doors, introduce you to the right people and guide you toward skill-building you didn’t even know existed.
Career Mentorship Guides Your Educational Path
Mentorship isn’t reserved for the workplace. College is often where it begins.
Thinking of going back to school? Many colleges have advisors who help students plan their classes, major, and even post-college career. Like mentors, advisors have years of perspective that go beyond the limited years college students spend in school. They can also help students find internships, jobs, and work-study programs that can provide experience and connections. Although they are not exactly the same as mentors, colleges establish these roles because they understand the value of having someone help students navigate the often-complex path of degree attainment.
Depending on the course or major, some professors and educators can also act as useful mentors, offering their students guidance around what they can do with their skills after they graduate. The leap from college to a career can be a difficult one, and having a mentor to help students avoid underemployment and identify possible career paths is invaluable.
Career Mentorship Through Career Services
Many schools offer career services programs for students who are attending school with a particular goal in mind, or who want to find something that speaks to their strengths and passions. While many younger students attend college without a fully established plan of what career they want, others attend with very clear goals of starting a new career or advancing in their current career. Career services programs can be a great way to seek mentorship from professionals in a particular field.
Examples of career services offered by colleges may include one-on-one career counseling, career-by-major exploration, job search tactics, mock-interview prep, savvy networking guidance, and even military-and-veteran accommodations.
Learn About Career Services at Columbia Southern University
Available to current students and alumni, our career services are designed to work with your goals and schedule, allowing you to seek a degree and make a career change or take the next step in your current career. Our flexible scheduling allow you to keep working while you learn and gain guidance. And with Career Services seamlessly integrated, you’re not navigating your next steps alone. You get help with resumes, interviews, networking — and everything in between. Learn more about our career services and what mentorship can look like for you.
