Well, every one of us was a student back then. We didn’t know anything about computer science and programming. We were unfamiliar with this realm and were like infants taking their first steps (although it’s not entirely different now). But we were driven to learn and dive into the unknown.

Anyway, we started to move forward on this long and challenging journey by watching YouTube videos about which path to choose (the last post is exactly about it), reading books for newbies, searching for tutorials on how to learn “X” programming language in few hours and so on and so forth. At least, it was like that for me.

I’m talking about it because I feel like (and I think it’s close to the objective viewpoint) I’ve lost much energy, focus, and time on the wrong things. Like, I wasn’t working on what should be done, was worrying about things that didn’t matter, but it is how it is. And currently, I realize that many questions and troubles could be handled if only I had a mentor.

So, why do I think that? Look, I was silly and didn’t understand many things. My learning process of CS topics, techniques, mindsets, and general knowledge, was built upon the brute force method. I was trying different things in different ways before really getting to the core. And this is where a mentor comes in immensely.

This guy (mentor/teacher) has already been through the stuff you’re currently dealing with. He’s gained a massive (relative to yours) knowledge base during all the years of work. He understands some aspects and details that you don’t notice or know. For instance, if you want to learn a programming language - ask a mentor. Probably, he has learned a few ones already by himself and, therefore, he knows some techniques or strategies to make a learning of programming language faster/deeper/better.

So, now the question is: where can I find him/her? Where can I find a mentor for myself? I believe that a mentor should not necessarily be in direct contact with you, although it is highly recommended. It can be a guy who has a YouTube channel or blog, and he posts educational (from our perspective) content that you can learn from: advice for beginners, opinions about different frameworks, how to find the first job, etc. It is the mentor - a person with many years of experience and knowledge behind him who shares it with others.

Eventually, I’d say that it’s better to have a mentor and listen to him (It can be more than one, but you should respect and value the opinions of these people). Because most of the issues that bother you have already been resolved, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel.