phpMentoring
26 |Who
27 |We are a formal, personal, long term, peer to peer mentorship organization focused on creating networks of skilled developers from all walks of life.
29 |We are PHP developers first and foremost - but that is not all we do nor is it the only skill listed on our resume.
30 |We are both mentors and apprentices, teachers, counselors, and we're not in this for profit but for the end result, a strong community of talented developers doing some fabulous things.
31 |We give back to the community as much as we take, we build up not tear down, and above all we believe in "play nice" and "code well"
32 |What
34 |Mentorship is a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. 36 |
37 |It's more then just answering questions or providing help, it's about learning, communication, and interaction.
38 |There are many different types of mentorships and mentorship programs, we have chosen a specific set of facets that describe mentorship for our program.
39 |There are mentorship organizations which have very formal procedures and there are also much more informal mentorships. Because we have both rules for relationships and procedures for mentorships this is a formal organization.
40 |Not every mentorship relationship needs to be or should be the kind where you invite them to your wedding, but we do focus more on personal involvement between two people, which makes our organization more personal then professional.
41 |Although short term, intensive mentorships can be useful for specific skills, we feel that the end result of a good mentorship is a healthy career in the long term. This means our mentorships should be a rich and ever changing career-long experience.
42 |Although group mentorships work well at the beginning of a career we feel the most best bang for your buck works best in face to face relationships.
43 |When
45 |The idea for a mentorship organization for technical communities is not a new one, but a common place to come together with some basic rules and guidelines where people could connect with each other and get questions answered in a common way is the ultimate goal. Sometimes a little organization and beaurocracy makes things that were previously difficult much easier.
47 |Where
49 |We communicate in various ways - from a google groups mailing list to an irc channel, wikis and example code directories on github, and our website. We also encourage face-to-face interaction - through user groups, meetups, conferences. We use technology from google hangouts to skype to irc and other chat programs. Communication is the key to any good relationship.
51 |Why
53 |Mentoring is great for your career. It provides
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- Information - technology moves fast, get help and insight into your every day work 57 |
- Recognition - as a mentor, your apprentice's work and progress will reflect on you 58 |
- Role modeling - as an apprentice you will have people to look up to, so you can map where you want to be in the future 59 |
- Advice - get insights into your strengths and weaknesses as well as guidance on where to go next 60 |
- Networking - find opportunities and meet people you never would have before 61 |
- Interaction - regular communication helps you introduce more social interaction into your work 62 |
- Intangibles - humans want to do things that make use feel good, from giving back knowledge received as an apprentice to a new apprentice or just helping someone with a problem 63 |
How
66 |Our charter
68 |Our rules
69 |Apprentice Rules
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- Take responsibility for career goals 73 |
- Listen and share 74 |
- Incorporate feedback given 75 |
- Make time for interaction 76 |
- Have realistic expectations and approach the relationship with honesty 77 |
Master Rules
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- Trust and Respect 81 |
- Listen not just hear 82 |
- Help apprentice define and achieve goals 83 |
- Offer advice, references, resources, constructive feedback 84 |
- Give support when apprentice succeeds, and when they fail 85 |
- How to find a mentor 86 |
- How to find an apprentice 87 |
- Goals and ongoing encouragement 88 |