Weekend Assignment #259: Mentors

Yes, I know I'm almost late again. This Spring Break schedule is killing me. Anyway, this week Karen asks:

Weekend Assignment #259: The term "mentoring" has become a buzzword in recent years but the concept of a mentor goes back centuries, and the word itself all the way back to Greek mythology, where Mentor was a friend of Odysseus. Have you ever had a mentor? How did you benefit from the relationship? And if you didn't have one, would you have wanted one?

I thought about this for a while this week. I can't say that I have had a mentor in the truest sense. Sure, I've had teachers or bosses that have helped me out. But, nothing that I would call a mentor.

My fifth grade teacher was pretty good to me. He was the track and soccer coach, and I did well in both of those. He helped me a bit in track, but nothing much more than most students. Did I ever tell you I set him up with my sister? That might be a story for another time. There are benefits to having a sister ten years older. I'm not saying that it got me any special favors on grades, or anything. They mostly dated during the summer after fifth grade; so don't get the wrong idea.

In my professional life, as it were, I can't think of anyone I'd call a mentor either. Maybe I'm missing out on something. They made it look fun on Seinfeld. Well, until George made the girl read the book on crisis management for him so he wouldn't have to. Maybe I should find someone to mentor...

Would I have wanted one? It's hard to say. I haven't had any real specialized interests that would usually require a mentor. When I think of someone having a mentor, I think of someone going into the arts, or maybe law. I don't know. I could be totally wrong.

Extra Credit: Have you ever been a mentor to someone else?

No. But if it got me out of some work, I may look into it.

What about you? Have you had, or been, a mentor?