Your Mentor Doesn T Have To Be More Senior Than You

Your mentor doesn't have to be more senior than you.

When people think about mentorship, they picture someone with decades of experience handing down wisdom. And sure, that's valuable. But it's not the only way mentorship works.

Some of the best insights I've gotten came from peers. People at the same level, wrestling with the same challenges, sharing what's working for them right now. There's no hierarchy, just two people figuring it out together.

And juniors? They bring something senior engineers often lose: fresh eyes.

They haven't learned to accept "that's just how we do it" yet. They ask the questions everyone else stopped asking. They come from bootcamps and courses teaching current practices while some of us are still carrying habits from ten years ago.

Mentorship isn't about who has the most experience. It's about who can help you see something you couldn't see on your own.

That might be someone who's been in the industry for 20 years. It might be someone who started six months ago.

Stay open and learn in every direction.

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