What does a successful career mean?

In order to understand why it is necessary to have a mentor for a successful career, you need to first ask yourself this question. What does it really mean to have a successful career? The answer, of course, may vary tremendously from person to person. However, it is the one question that holds the key to the rest of your professional life!

While some of you may give more importance to the remuneration and financial growth, others may define success as the perfect work-life balance. Let us jot down a few universal answers to what makes a truly successful career:

1. It should make you happy to think of going to work (well, on most days, at least!)
2. It should provide you with the required financial and professional motivation.
3. It should showcase your talents and strengths.
4. It should give your life an overall stability and security.

So, if you have nodded along for most of the above points, that means you want your own unique path to success, one that is in alignment with your passions, talents and aspirations!
However, in a country that churns out 1.5 million engineers a year, it is no surprise that many motivated and highly talented youngsters take the common road and lose sight of their own unique strengths, thus missing the bus to a truly fulfilling career!

Who is a mentor?

In its very basic definition, a mentor is someone who plays the role of a trusted and experienced advisor. For most of us, a good part of our school life is spent under the mentorship of either our parents or our teachers. But let’s be honest, how many Indian parents really understand and encourage the actual strengths of their children? When it comes to our teachers and parents, ‘success’ is defined by their own archaic notions and beliefs which do not hold much weight in the real world!

It is no wonder that most engineering students in India feel like they are forced to study engineering when their passion lies elsewhere! But what exactly are you good at? What are your real strengths? Which field can you choose to fulfill your true potential? These are the precise questions which a mentor can help you with. In saying that, the earlier you get your answers the better your prospects of realising your dreams in today’s cut-throat job market. Early mentorship ensures that you do not waste time on the wrong track and get more time for preparation than your potential competitors. There are millions who are in this rat-race and it is only with the right guidance at the right time that you can gain an edge. The first step towards this is through an early mentorship program that is tailor made for you!

How can a mentor help?

A good mentor can be anybody who has gained sufficient amount of experience in a chosen field and has the ability to gauge your strengths and weaknesses well. He or she should also have in-depth knowledge & expertise to be able to guide you in your chosen path in the best possible manner! Let’s say, if you are studying mechanical engineering but somewhere in the middle of those four years, you realise you have a passion for coding, a mentor can help you shift focus and do what you are meant to be doing rather than what is dictated by your degree! In short, a mentor provides you with the right guidance at the right time.

Apart from that, an early mentorship will also:

• Allow you to gain from their experiences and mistakes.
• Help you set practical and realistic goals.
• Help you view your career goals in a better light.
• Help you remove road-blocks.
• Help you focus in the right direction well ahead of time.