Mentoring

Last night I flew home from the Bay Area so I could see my daughter dance at BYU's Christmas Around the World. One of the regulars who also lives in Salt Lake but works in San Francisco joined me on the flight. It worked out well because he gave me a ride home from the airport and that gave us a chance to talk.

Yesterday was a traumatic day from my fellow commuter. He works for an animation studio and one of his fellow animators was let go. The reason for being fired was because the animator had failed to keep up with the latest technology. New guys were coming in and running circles around him. He had been warned but failed to act and was now paying the price.

My friend and I discussed how to keep from becoming irrelevant in the constantly changing hi-tech industries in which we work. Interestingly enough, we both came to the same conclusion. Both of us have taken fellow co-workers under our wings to help mentor. In return, those that we are mentoring are helping us by showing us all of the latest technologies. It is a win-win situation for all parties. Mentoring is often seen as someone with experience helping a novice, but that isn't the only help taking place.