Mentor Info

How To: Find & Schedule a Meeting With Your Mentor

Mentor Info and FAQs

Mentor List

Mentor Program Coordinator

How do I find a mentor or learn more about the mentors in my posse?

Mentors all come with a unique set of expertise and experience. Not sure what to ask your mentor? Need a mentor from outside of your posse? Want to get a better understanding of what our mentors work on? You will receive a link to the Mentor Information Spreadsheet during the first week of classes. Use the Mentor Information Spreadsheet to find out more about your mentor! We recommend attempting to connect with 1-2 mentors first before casting a wider net. The spreadsheet will contain information on how to best contact your selected mentor!

What should I work on with my mentor?

Once you’ve located the right mentor – think about what you’d like to work on. Great things to work on with your mentor include but are not limited to: Project Planning, Homework Assignments, exercism, Project work, Interview Prep, Shooting the breeze about life after turing.

How do I schedule a meeting with my mentor?

Your mentors all volunteer their time to offer you unconditional support while you’re on the wild ride through Turing. Remember that their time is just as valuable as yours and schedule pairing at LEAST 24-48 hours in advance (we acknowledge that exceptions happen). Your mentors should have updated availability in the spreadsheet referenced above. Ideally, you’ll coordinate all of your pairing for the week on Mondays before class or after wrap up.

What if I need to cancel or reschedule?

If you need to cancel or reschedule try to do that in advance (at least 12 hours), so that your mentor is not waiting for the session that will never be. When canceling, present some other times that work for you to reschedule the session. We ask that mentors do the same.

What if I need to schedule last minute?

If you need to schedule an extreme last minute pairing session – first reach out via slack. Crickets in the posse? Let Mary know, she’ll nudge your mentors. If it’s very urgent – reach out in #questions. There are mentors there ready and waiting to help!

What if I need to extend my appointment?

If your session looks like it is running over time, before plowing ahead ask your mentor if it is okay to extend for another 5/10/30 etc mins. If you can’t extend the current pairing session, ask your mentor if you can schedule another block of time within the next few days.

How To: DTR With Your Mentor

Meeting with a mentor for the first time can seem daunting. There is a lot of ground to cover, you’re not sure what to talk about …. Should you code? We recommend having a 30 minute google hangout/coffee/beer the first time you meet your mentor. It’s important to get to know each other outside the context of screenhero for a natural relationship to form. Below, a sampling of questions that you can ask to determine if the person you’re meeting is the right mentor for you!

How do you communicate best? What is your preferred way to support me while I go through Turing?

• Examples: Pairing (in-person / Screenhero), Slack Chats, GitHub Code Reviews, FaceTime/Hangouts

What do you need (resources, environment, communication) to feel prepared for our meetings?

• examples[communication]: 24-48 hour advanced notice, slack ping right before meeting
• examples[resources]: links to any applicable lessons/code beforehand, summary of the project at beginning, agenda for pairing session
• examples[environment]: not a coffeeshop, turing

What scheduling restraints do you have? What are your scheduling preferences

• Example [preferences]: google cal, youcanbook.me, slack message, sunrise

What do you identify as being your biggest strength(s) technically as they relate to the curriculum at Turing? What are some of your technical interests that we may not focus on at Turing? What are you non-technical interests / areas of expertise?

• Example [technical turing-related] - react.js, ember, creating style guides, UI design
• Example [technical but turing-divergent] - Clojure, Elixir, Rust, iOS
• Example [non-technical but turing-related] - Technical Interview Prep, Leadership Skills, Public Speaking/Lightning Talks, Resumes
• Example [non-technical turing-divergent] - knitting, tattoos, yoga, skiing, craft-beer, parenting
• What has gone well or poorly in your last mentorships?