TSQL Tuesday #184: Mentoring

It's #TSQL2sday!!

T-SQL Tuesday is the brainchild of Adam Machanic (Blog | Twitter). December 2009 was the first T-SQL Tuesday invitation that went out by Adam. It is a monthly blog party on the second Tuesday of each month. Currently, Steve Jones (Blog | Twitter) organises the event and maintains a website with all previous posts which you can find here. Everyone is welcome to participate in this monthly blog post.

This month's T-SQL Tuesday is hosted by Deborah Melkin (Blog | Twitter | BlueSky). Deborah invites us to talk about how our relationship to mentoring and sponsoring.. Thanks to Deborah for hosting this month's blog party!

Mentoring

I haven’t contributed to TSQL Tuesday for a while, but Deborah’s invitation this time is a topic close to my heart, so I thought I would jump in. On a professional level, I haven’t directly mentored anyone however, I always try to support junior team members with guidance and even just giving them encouragement to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. Most of my mentoring time is through being a STEM Ambassador which I find to be very rewarding.

STEM Ambassador

Whilst I have mentored a handful of professionals over the years, the majority of my mentoring time has been through my role as a STEM Ambassador. STEM Learning is an organisation that supports STEM education in the UK, inspiring young people to consider STEM careers, and providing access to engaging activities. They run an ambassador program that connects STEM professionals with students and teachers, to help inspire the next generation.

I have been part of that program since 2022 and have completed around 175 hours of volunteering over that time. I would wholeheartedly recommend becoming a STEM ambassador, it has been a great way to give back to the community. And there are such a variety of opportunities - next month I will be helping at an event where students are challenged to design, build, and race their own electric cars! Here are some of the mentoring activities I have been involved in over the last few years…

Online mentoring

I have participated in an online mentoring program connecting students with industry professionals. Students choose a mentor who aligns with their interests and career aspirations. The students can then discuss their career aspirations, and ask questions on careers, life after school, pathways into STEM, and anything else they want to discuss. This program runs over 10 weeks on an online platform, all discussions are by chat, which makes it really flexible for both the mentor and the student.

In person mentoring

More recently, I have been involved with a mentoring scheme run by One Million Mentors that aims to connect students with industry professionals. This is a 1:1 mentoring scheme, and one of the locations they have been running this scheme is at my old high school! I jumped at this chance, as I got to return to my old school and mentor a student who was interested in a career in STEM. This was a little poignant for me, as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at their age, and I am sure I would have benefitted from a mentor to guide me through my career choices.

Why do I mentor?

The choices that students are expected to make in secondary school around what subjects to focus on, and what pathways they want to follow are really tough. It must be so overwhelming to think that you are expected to know what you want to do with your life at such a young age. I think that the support I can bring to students wanting to better understand how their skills and interests can be applied in the real world is really valuable.

Deborah’s questions

What worked

I found that empathy is a really important skill to use as a mentor, being able to put your own opinions, beliefs and values aside and really trying to understand where the student is coming from. Understanding their own unique challenges and motivations is key to being able to help them more effectively.

What obstacles

The hardest skill I have had to learn is how to listen effectively and be able to progress a discussion by asking the right questions. We have a natural tendency to try to resolve issues or find solutions, but as a mentor we need to be able to provide mentees with the tools to find the solutions for themselves.

Women & underrepresented groups

I have had the opportunity to mentor a few young women through the programs mentioned above. My two daughters are venturing into STEM subjects, we are currently celebrating as my eldest has just been accepted by her 5 university choices to study Biochemistry!

I also run a Code Club in a underprivileged area of Cardiff, that provides a safe space for children to learn to code, and to be creative. Before Christmas it was an all girls club! In the coming weeks we are going to be completing a project that is going to be sent to the ISS and run on an AstroPI for the Astronauts! They will receive a certificate confirming that their code was run in space and where the ISS was at the time! The kids are so excited!

I also help run a Code Club on behalf of a charity in Thornbury called Jigsaw, who support children and young people with additional needs or disabilities, and their families. We get together once a month to run an extended session for children with additional needs with a few other #sqlfamily members, you can read more about that on this blog post or listen to our talk from SQLBits 2024.

I am open to mentoring

I do have a few things that I am focused on, but if we can find a structure that works for both of us, I would be more than happy to mentor someone. Or if you wanted to get some help on getting involved in STEM Learning, or running / supporting a Code Club, feel free to get in touch!

Give mentoring a go!

Finally from me, you don’t need to be a expert to mentor someone, you are there to provide guidance, to share your own experiences, to provide a different perspective, and to challenge someone to consider their own options.