Starting a new journey alone can come with lots of challenges, confusion  and setbacks but imagine having a roadmap or guide to your destination, the journey becomes easier and faster 

In today’s post, we are going to look at; what is coding? Who is a coding mentor? And what are the benefits of having a coding mentor? 

What is coding?

Coding is the process of giving commands and assigning tasks to the computer, it’s how computers communicate with people. Codes can be used to develop apps, websites, and software. 

Who is a coding mentor?

A coding mentor is a more experienced programmer who guides, directs and advises a less experienced programmer to help him become better with codes.

Let’s dive into the benefit of a coding mentor

Benefits of a coding mentor

1. Learning from their experience

Your mentor has been through the same process that you are going through right now.  They have the experience of what it means to be a developer in the actual work environment, they have knowledge of what project would be helpful to you, they also have the knowledge of how to apply what you are learning to a real-life situation. They can help guide you and also warn you if you are about to make the same mistakes that they’ve made, this will prevent you from wasting your time, resources and money. They serve as your guide.

2. Shortcut to best practices

Learning by doing is very important, it’s really nice to have someone who can tell you about the best practices that they have already tested. This way, you are learning in a much more efficient and quicker way because you are applying things that work straight away.

3. Source of inspiration

It is an awesome feeling to have someone you look up to as your mentor because hearing their stories and their experiences motivate and inspires you even more. It gives you so much energy and confidence which is very very important when it comes to learning a new skill and to your career development because it makes you aim higher and become more ambitious. You become excited about doing what you are doing.

4. Shapen your perspective 

Your mentor is likely to have had much more experience in the industry and may have a much more long term vision, it’s great to see your life and career from that perspective and to see what options you have. For example, imagine you are in a city that you’ve never been to before and you are walking around exploring the environment, you will be able to see things and buildings which are in front and behind you but a mentor will be able to give you a map to know what surrounds you, what streets there are and also see what potential destination you might have. Thinking long term can transform both your personal and professional life.

5. Learning to ask the right questions

Sometimes asking questions can be more important than answering them. Good mentors ask questions to help you think about the process you are going through, whether it’s learning how to code or career development. A lot of times, you are the only person that can answer these questions because they are related to your direction, your path and what gives you fulfilment. Learning how to ask yourself the right questions is very important for your growth.

6. Accountability

When you are starting something new, whether it is a habit or learning a new skill, it's important to have someone who can keep you accountable. To be honest, when it comes to learning how to code there are ups and downs and you might lose motivation along the way.  Your mentor can be very helpful by having dedicated time, it can be weekly or monthly, to sit down with you and either go over life coding challenges or a curriculum. The thing is this, whenever you are meeting up with them you will want to show up being prepared which may require constant practice. Accountability can help you keep up the learning process

7. Objective feedback

The beauty of your mentor not being your friend or parents is that they can give you objective feedback, they are not biased. You are not the most talented person in the world to them, they see you as you are and they can give you honest and objective feedback which in turn will make you realistically better

8. Networking

Do you know a single industry where networking isn’t important? I don’t think so. Tech is the same and if you want to be a developer, you still need to work on your soft skills and on building your network. A mentor can do both, they can help you become better at networking and improve your professional communication skill. They can as well expand your horizon by introducing and recommending you to the right people in their network which is very valuable

9. Saves you time

Imagine you start learning coding on your own, you get the materials and resources you need then enrol for a course, at the course of studying, you might get to a point where you feel you are not on the right track and will need to start afresh. The place of a mentor is to help you save the time and energy you would have wasted on trial and error. They can also help you save time by providing answers to questions you should have spent hours on google searching for.  They help you speed up your learning process by offering advice from their experience

10. Stimulate growth

Having the guidance of a mentor when learning to code can be very beneficial to you, it pushes you to become a better programmer. The spirit of not disappointing your mentor can be a driving force towards growth. It helps you to be committed to the process which may involve constant study and practice.

Have you got yourself a coding mentor yet? And why haven’t you?

Are you thinking of how to find one, or where? As a tip, at Mentortribes you have the privilege of getting for yourself a suitable mentor who will guide and help you through your coding journey.