Alumni Pathways: Serving as a Mentor
Participating in Pathways and the Alumni Connections Mentoring Program as a mentor is a great opportunity for alumni to give back to the Rensselaer community by offering their wisdom and advice to current students or other alumni. While the goals and needs of the participants may vary, all are looking to gain knowledge, advice, and wisdom about a particular job market, career field or industry.
A student may want advice to help them declare a major or in planning coursework that would be helpful to someone in your field. An alum may be interested in learning about potential career paths in your industry or company or seeking advice on the trends in a particular job market.
Please keep in mind that this is not a job placement service and that alumni mentors are not expected to offer or find jobs for students or fellow alumni. Here's a chance to build your professional network, and expand or freshen your own perspective! Mentoring allows you to share accumulated knowledge and experience while gaining a better understanding of yourself through helping others.
Once access is given to a mentee, they are then able to preview the database of participating alumni mentors. It is the mentee's responsibility to contact their mentor to make arrangements for an in-person visit or to arrange a phone contact. Mentee's may spend anywhere from a few hours to a full day meeting with and talking to you as a mentor.
The depth of the relationship and the length of the visit or phone conversation will be left entirely up to you, the mentor. It is important to consider how much time you will be able to commit to the relationship, however, mentees have been made aware of the many demands on your time. The number of times you are requested as a mentor will be monitored and every effort will be made to limit the number of requests you receive each year. If you have any questions or concerns about Pathways, please contact the program director at hubbam@rpi.edu. |
