[ietf-mentors] If you liked being an IETF Mentor

[Eric Burger <[e-mail]>]

If you liked helping someone navigate the IETF, please consider volunteering for MentorNet, http://www.mentornet.net

The goal is to pair mentors with women and minorities that are interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. They have an excellent track record of converting their interest into graduation and jobs. I have been a mentor in the program for six years and have helped two women complete their PhD's, one woman (a professor at Penn) start her own business, two male minorities get their PhD's, and another woman decide whether to go into academia or industry.

One thing that makes the program successful is they do a great job of walking the mentors and mentees through the mentoring process, keeping tabs on the relationship, and making sure the relationship graduates -- the goal is NOT a lifelong dependency, but giving the mentee the tools to be successful on their own.

- Eric