In 343 B.C. Aristotle was appointed mentor to a 7 year old boy who was son to the King of Macedon. This same boy (later known in the history books as Alexander the Great) grew to command of one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Turn the clocks forward to 1998 when Dr. Dre signed a young rapper from Detroit to his record label. Through his mentoring, vocal contribution, and production backing, Dre helped propel Eminem into stardom.
A few more well-known mentorships:
- Film: Mel Gibson (who is clearly nuts) mentored Heath Ledger (which might explain why he played the Joker so convincingly)
- Music: Johann Christian Bach (son of J.S. Bach) mentored Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Sports: Eddy Merckx (five-time Tour de France winner) mentored Lance Armstrong (seven-time Tour de France winner)
But perhaps more significant than these famous examples are the mentorships that happen everyday among teachers and students, parents and children, or professionals and interns.
Finding the right direction for career and life after college is one of the biggest challenges students face. Mentorships provide a unique opportunity for students to find answers to questions they might not have otherwise found through traditional education. Mentees might seek advice on:
- Deciding a major
- Choosing the best coursework
- Learning outside the classroom
- Applying for industry jobs
- Financing education
- Finding research opportunities
- Balancing work and life
Mentees benefit by gaining a better sense of confidence to achieve their goals, receive recognition and encouragement, and have greater exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences. Not to mention the foundation of building a lasting professional network and in some cases, a lifelong friendship.
Mentors’ lives are also enriched through mentorships. Mentors have a chance to apply valuable leadership and teaching skills, gain exposure to an emerging talent pool and latest industry knowledge, and take personal satisfaction in knowing their advice is helping someone else achieve their full potential.
So how do you find a good mentor? I’m glad you asked! This week we came across an excellent non-profit service through our Twitter account that connects mentors and mentees.
StudentMentor.org is a free service matching college students seeking career or academic advice with professionals nationwide. Students work one-on-one with mentors to receive career or academic advice on a wide variety of topics including financing education, finding an internship, and work-life balance. Students simply sign up and are presented with matches in real time. They then choose their ideal mentorship match and decide how and where the mentorship takes place.
This is the first ever nationwide college mentoring program. StudentMentor.org’s current mentors range in background and include: a harvard law student, surgeon, leading business executive, author, and many others.
While you might not be conquering the Persian Empire, finding a good mentor (or becoming one yourself) might be one of the best steps you can take to achieve success in your education, career, and life.
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