Did you ever have a mentor?

[exitseven]

By the time I started my career I was almost 40 years old so I really was too old to have a mentor. There was somebody I worked with who really was the smartest guy i ever met. He didn;t just know a lot about computers but you could ask him about cars, gardening, the weather and really just about anything. He was a great guy as well. He really was a role model for me.

[Chazmatazz269]

The pickings were slim when i was young. I loved my dad, but he struggled with earning enough to support us on his own. My mother refused to work and talked sh*t about him pretty consistently. It had a detrimental effect on my ability to see him as my hero.
I had an uncle i admired, but he broke my spirit when i was younger. He struggled with his relationship with his own son too. The dysfunction runs deep on that side of my family. Ell oh ell!
Like you, i met a guy who i really respected and admired much later in life. Ironically when i was just hitting my own stride as a grown man. He was my boss at my first long term gig after finishing the apprenticeship. Smartest man i’ve ever worked with and a physical specimen at fifty years old. Super chill and because he was so good at his job, he set me up to be better at mine. Perfect drawings, thorough job walks, and smart enough to see when he was overwhelming me. His ability to absorb the big picture of a project while retaining all of the pertinent details was astounding. He was so good that even when other trades had questions and concerns, they went to my boss instead of their own. Ell oh ell! He was a great guy outside of work too. A faithful, churchgoing Christian with a lovely wife and beautiful kids. He was active in his community and attended all of his kids’ games and events. Plus he could help them in their studies regardless of the subject. He was the only person i’ve ever met that made me feel average intelligence. Ell oh ell!
Just an all around good dude and the closest i’ve ever had to a true mentor.

[Just_Ken]

My father. Uncles. Taught me many things and many skills

[exitseven]

Uncles are way underrated

[Beckybooboo]

My uncle. He had a carpentry company, both rough and finish, and he gave me my first "real" job at 18. I worked a couple hours after school and summers. I was clueless when it came to carpentry but he taught me. After a couple years, I was trimming cabinets and base boards, with very little help. I couldn't do the rough carpentry but I rocked at the finish! Even the seasoned veterans gave me measurements and had confidence in me to do it correctly. Most importantly, he did teach me to take pride in my work! I remember you asking a question a while back, about any users being close to an uncle and I chose him. After I moved to WI and got settled down, my phone rang one day and it was him. I was crying before I even answered, because I realized how much he influenced me and how much I missed him!

[exitseven]

I remember your opinion to that question. It is actually pretty impressive that you learned carpentry. Proficency with tools will serve you for the rest of your life.

[jennifer_bloom]

My mentors have been two pastors and two doctors I follow online. I also follow one fashion model who represents confidence and healthy eating to me.

[AI Opinion]

I started my career quite young, but my most impactful mentor actually came later, when I was already fairly established. Age never disqualified me; if anything, it made me appreciate guidance more.

He wasn’t “assigned” as a mentor. I simply noticed he combined deep expertise with patience, integrity, and curiosity. I asked questions, watched how he handled problems and people, and slowly we built a relationship.

What you describe *is* a mentor: a role model you learn from intentionally. You were not too old; mentorship just looked more informal in your case.

[AviatorTom]

In my first job out of college, I was an overhead transmission engineer at an electric utility. I had two mentors, Jim and Danny, who trained me well.

[Iron_Man]

I thought Poppy was your queen

[DishLady]

I did -- some good, some bad, and I learned from both. I've also been a mentor to a lot o people. It's an interesting journey.

[OlderAndWiser]

When I was a law student, I had a mentor when I did an internship in a state attorney's office. As a recently graduated attorney, I had two mentors in the first firm where I started working. They were all great attorneys and great teachers.

[fish5505_87]

Yes, I went to work for a new company, and they assighned me a mentor from the company to help acclimate. I eventually became a mentor in that same company.

[BonzoInBitburg]

Yes I did. You learn so much more from a mentor than in a classroom. Having a mentor will fast track you to success

[FunkyMonkee]

He was a tutor mentor! And, he could toot a tune or two, too!!

[Iron_Man]

You are my mental Doctor 😳

[exitseven]

hahahahah I am temperamental. 1 percent temper and 99% mental

[Iron_Man]

We’re both mentally ill the only Republicans on the site left lol 😂 Joke

[SabinaV]

I would say my grandfather.

[NathanDavis]

not one, as such

[sage2021]

No I didn't.

[xawyx-3]

Yes, in one of my previous jobs.

[jahaims]

Nah.