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Comment by martian | Hacker News Reader

This is great advice. Starting a business is difficult work, though. My advice is always to get an internship at a big tech company that you respect. Learn from the masters in your industry. There is so much to being a developer that is not taught in CS curriculum: tools, teamwork, managing a large codebase, dealing with ambiguous specs and constraints, etc.

More and more I have come to believe that while knowing the fundamental CS theory is important, software engineering is a craft that is best learned through apprenticeship. Sure, you can learn the theory in school, then try a bunch of things and figure it out on your own, but the best developers I've met are those that have studied under great mentors for the first few years of their careers. Once you have that basic training, you are much better equipped to venture off on your own.

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> This is great advice. Starting a business is difficult work, though.

Thank you. And it absolutely is but given his field and current situation I figured it would be a a little easier to start.

1) Taking off his shirt is a pretty easy sell. He looks like an Olympic gymnast. It obviously doesn't mean he knows everything but he's achieved visible and noticeable results over time and that is likely to earn trust.

2) He was previously in the military and was always at the top in physical fitness tests. Again, it's a bit of a marketing edge over other people.

3) If necessary, he could undercut other personal trainers in the area. They're likely to have more expenses and a higher rate if it's their full-time gig whereas my brother would be doing it for some extra cash and as a resume builder while he's still in school.

However, I know what you mean when it comes to tech. You gave a fair piece of advice. I just went a slightly different route for him since I don't think his field has the same type of internship model built into it that can give techies more options.

While it is true that apprenticeship can be very fulfilling and meaningful, it can only do so if the individual is ready for it. The linked text mentions the blasé type people for whom nothing seems important enough -- these would learn or develop much under a mentor.

I'm intrigued by your suggestion, as somebody who learned the trade on my own, got a job with very poor terms (which nobody would tell me, because hey wow it's a programming job, amazing) -- and then I woke up, realized where I was, and started pursuing a degree in computer science instead. Best decision I ever made.

I think my story isn't very uncommon, but my question is: how would you approach getting a mentor?

Yeah, I hear you. My first jobs out of college were also not as inspired as they could have been, partially because I didn't have a great mentor to guide me through the process.

My advice for finding a mentor is to look for a job at a company with people you respect and look up to. You want to work with engineers who are better than you and can teach you things. It sounds like you're in school right now, but if this is an option for you: start interviewing at tech companies and see what you find. There are many mediocre companies but also many great ones. If you're in SF (or willing to move here) send me an email and I can help out.

If you're not able to get a new job, you can still learn a lot from people around you. I have mentored a few people off and on over the past few years. Some people I've met through friends or through formal mentorship programs like HackBright. I think you'll find that there are a lot of engineers out there willing to meet up and help you learn.

And if you're currently in school: well, that's what school is for ;-)

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