Find a Mentor

Do you have ideas about a career you might enjoy? Talking to a mentor might help you think about your choices.

A mentor is someone who can give you advice. Mentors are important throughout life — if you ask some of the adults you know who their mentors have been, they might mention former teachers, bosses or friends. In your career, a mentor is there to show you the ropes, or help you move up and do well at work.

Some ways a mentor can help you now are:

Job Shadowing

One of the things you might do with your mentor is job shadowing. This is where you go to work with your mentor, for all or part of a day, so you can see firsthand what having a job is really like. If this is something that interests you, talk to the people you know — like your parents and their friends — about letting you shadow them for a day. If you're interested in shadowing one of your parents, you might ask if they'll take you along on Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.

High School and College Mentors

Maybe you're more interested in the idea of talking to someone closer to your age — a mentor doesn't have to be an adult. An older college or high school student can help you with the sometimes-confusing process of getting through school and deciding what to do when you graduate.

Many Texas schools have different kinds of mentoring programs — if you're interested in the idea, talk to your teacher or guidance counselor.