How many of you had mentors and teachers throughout your career that were there to help you? For many of us, we would not have made it to the level that we did without them. They guided us, shared their own career lessons and helped us see things with new perspective. Have you considered how you could give back what you have learned to other people? There are various ways that you could do this, but here are a few ideas:
- Sign up to be a mentor at your work, in your community or through a formal program like Menttium
- Volunteer at your local high school or college to do mock interviews or speak to a class about your career and the lessons that you have learned.
- Become a part time teacher at a local college in your area of expertise or in an area that you have passion about. This is something that I am doing and many of my former colleagues are as well.
- Write about your experiences in a blog or start a podcast that allows you to get your voice out there and share what you know.
- Post articles on LinkedIn or Medium (there are many others as well) to start sharing what would be helpful to others.
- Start a community on Facebook, LinkedIn or a MeetUp Group to bring people together
- If you have already owned a business or own one now, you could mentor a business that is just getting started to help them get off the ground.
- You could coach athletics, lead a volunteer group, or help with girl scouts/boy scout troops.
If you are looking for a way to share with others or pay it forward, these are some ideas that may work for you. I spoke at a class of graduate students last night about my career and what I have learned throughout my career. They asked so many great questions about what I had done and were seeking advice for their own careers. They were very engaged and so enthusiastic to learn. It was very rewarding to be able to share those lessons with them.
Just think about what you have done over your own career and what you could teach others. Do you remember the impact that your mentors and teachers had on you? Just imagine how great it would feel to share your own real world knowledge and experience. You could now be the one having that same kind of impact on future generations!