I’ve never had a “mentor,” no well-connected older colleague I go to for career advice and moral support. I don’t have regular check-ins involving my professional life with anyone other than my manager, and I’m betting that’s true for lots of people.
Sure, a formal mentoring relationship might be great. The idea of having a go-to industry leader to help me steer my career whenever I need advice sounds really appealing. I’ve just never locked one down because if we’re being honest here, it’s hard to do! Getting somebody to invest themselves indefinitely in your career success, like an unpaid coach, is more than many people can reasonably pull off.
