For most of my high school and college years, I took something for granted – mentorship. I was fortunate enough to have not one, but several individuals pour into me with their advice and support, and I remain inspired by this seeming selflessness and altruism.
It wasn’t until I began a normal 9-5 job in a work environment devoid of this ~mentorship~ hullabaloo that I really began to realize how much we as a younger generation need role models to aspire to and advice on how to navigate the journeys we have embarked upon. For while inspiration and advice seemed to seep out of so many individuals while I was in the educational system, it suddenly became harder to find when I began my scientific career as a research assistant. Navigating my current day-to-day has also suddenly felt a little trickier without the clarity of expectations, goals, and wisdom that can be bestowed by someone who has walked this path before us.
An entirely different post will be written about my experience starting my first job in a new city with all new people, yet the role mentors play is truly essential in this difficult time. Adaptation is a process, and there are some people who take months or years to really feel at home in a new situation and yet others who almost instantaneously find their new normal upon starting new beginnings. For me, I fall right in the middle. The excitement and novelty of moving to DC propelled me forward in those first few months, and I dove into research and exploring the city with enthusiasm and energy that I wistfully wish I could have held on to forever. Yet once the bubble of novelty wore off, I found myself struggling to make decisions, searching for friends that met the standards set my my college life-mates, and unsure of how to simply become this working adult that I felt I was expected to be in the workplace.
It is in navigating these decisions of how-to-be and what-to-strive-for in these new environments that mentors become truly essential. We all have a rough idea or maybe even a steadfast set of rules regarding how we are supposed to be treated and what to expect from other people. But when starting anew, we, whether knowingly or not, look to those around us for an idea of what to do next. Now if those people around us are the ideal people that we ourselves strive to be, then this works out well. Yet if they are the antithesis of our pursuit towards perfection, we need to remember to look towards other role models and individuals who do maintain the qualities we wish to cultivate within ourselves.
Put bluntly, it can be easy to feel alone when treading on a new path, especially one in which you are unsure of what to expect. But there are people who have been right where you are. Seek out these people. For me, this meant gathering opinions from the people who held the same pipette I use each day in research, using the online world and communities to seek out information, and utilizing friends and networks to seek out advice on what I should do for my next step. The world began to shrink and became a lot less scary when I took the time to get perspectives from the people with similar difficulties and fears. And I found I was a lot less alone than my mind made it seem.
Now not everyone is altruistic and willing to be a mentor or provide their perspective. So do be cautious of this. But when you do find someone who has your best interests at heart and is willing to share their advice and stories, make sure you take the time to listen. Even little challenges such as requesting time off from work, navigating difficult coworkers, and dealing with new bosses can be alleviated by sharing perspectives with people and hearing about others “mistakes.”
So this is what I implore myself and you to do – maintain mentors. Both seek out people who you can aspire to live like, and be a mentor to those who follow in your footsteps as well. The path is a lot less difficult if we have people to lean on and look towards.
Megen's Musings 