When is it worth paying for a mentor?

Navigating your career can be overwhelming. There’s a seemingly infinite number of paths in front of you, and figuring out which to take on your own is daunting. That’s just one case where a mentor helps, but getting the most from one takes the right situation.

There are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if you’re at a point where paying for mentorship would work. These are meant to help you reflect on your situation and help determine how to proceed in your career.

So you’re aware, I provide one-on-one mentorship to help people be better Django developers and software engineers. My meetings with clients typically center around technical topics, career guidance and learning new skills. While there’s plenty of information available on the web, it can be challenging sorting through it all. And if you’re interested in non-paid mentorship resources, I’ve collected some information here.

Are you in a period of growth or change?

In my experience, the clearest sign is being in a period of growth or change. You might be early in your career, switching careers, switching roles, or maybe their environment has changed. Perhaps your company has a new leadership team, and you’re uncertain if you’re a fit. This can also be deciding, on your own, that you want to grow.

When you’re in these periods of flux, it’s hard to stay confident that you’re making good decisions. Not to mention, the usual people you ask for advice and feedback may be people who have a real interest in you picking a particular path. Or perhaps you don’t want to burden them with more stress. By going outside your circle, you can get some perspective without leaning further on your network.

Some examples of periods of growth or change:

• Deciding to make a change in your career
• Starting your career
• Changing careers
• Trying for a promotion
• Company/team change
• Returning from a career break
• A jump in responsibility

Do you know where you want to grow?

It helps to have some sense of what you want to work on. It doesn’t need to be super precise like “I want to produce 5% fewer bugs.” Something rough like “I’d like to write more robust software” is plenty to start.

And if you can’t name it yet, that’s okay. Figuring out where to grow is part of the work, and it’s something a mentor can help you do. What matters more is a willingness to look honestly at where you are and to ask for help. That openness is what makes everything else possible.

Some examples of places you could grow:

• Writing robust software
• Being a better communicator
• Providing better code reviews
• Being more aware of technologies
• Learning new skills
• Being more confident
• Navigating complex situations

Do you have the resources to invest?

This may be the easiest question to answer of the bunch, though it’s still critically important. Do you have the time, money, and energy to invest into mentorship? These are finite resources in your life. If you’re in school, have a full-time job, and have a newborn, you likely don’t have time or energy. Doing an honest assessment of your life and responsibilities can help you determine if you have the capacity to hire a mentor.

Some examples of considerations to make:

• How many hours per week can you put toward growth?
• What is your monthly financial budget for self-improvement?
• How much energy do you have to work on yourself each day/week?

Whats happens next?

If you feel ready to hire a mentor, that’s great! Let’s meet when you’re next available. If you’re interested in paid mentorship but want to consider another option, I know Kenneth Love offers a similar service.

If you set up a meeting with me, there’s no charge for our introductory meeting. It’ll last about 30 minutes, and we’ll get to know each other a bit. I’ll pack in as much value as I can for what you’re working toward. But the main purpose is for us to decide if we’re both comfortable.

If we are a fit, the next step is to decide on weekly or biweekly meetings, schedule the meeting, and away we go. Curious what that’s actually looked like for other people? Here’s what past clients have said.

And since I know it can be scary to pay for a mentor, I bill at the end of the month, and you only pay if you’re happy with how things have gone.

Whatever you decide, I hope these questions help you figure out the right next step.