Mentoring

I have mentored interns, graduate assistants, designers, and developers. I approach each relationship differently.

Interns

• Interns need ongoing support, as they may not have much prior experience in the field.
• Establish some goals at the start of the internship. Impact maps are useful for framing goals, documenting accomplishments, and prioritizing work.
• Collaborate with the intern about establishing a pace for their learning and practice.

Graduate assistants

• Graduate assistants tend to have an academic foundation in their field. Work projects put into practice what they’ve learned in the classroom.
• Critique and exposure to other full-time staff in their field help them refine their craft.

Designers

• Weekly meetings with a group of designers can provide diverse feedback for members.
• One-on-one meetings with another designer can produce a safe space for richer feedback.

Developers

• Backend developers must learn new syntaxes, tools, and methods for the front-end. Paired programming is a great way to teach while solving practical problems.