Your Mentee Is Thinking About Leaving Tech
Your mentee opens the call with something you were not expecting. I think I might be done with this. Not the job. The whole field. Your first instinct will be to talk them out of it. You love this work, you can see their potential, and you already have a list of reasons ready. Hold the list. If you lead with persuasion, they will stop telling you the truth, and the truth is the only thing that…
Your mentee brings up an unexpected thought - they might want to leave the tech field entirely. Your natural response would be to try and convince them otherwise, highlighting your love for the work, their potential, and your prepared reasons. But it's crucial to resist this urge. Let them express their truth without persuasion.
Begin by asking what a successful week would look like if they left tech. Often, the answer points to a specific issue rather than the entire profession. This could be a draining manager, an endless on-call rota, a confusing codebase, or features they built that nobody uses. Discuss these real problems, keeping in mind they're usually limited to one team, not the whole industry.
Next, inquire about what they would miss. Most people can answer this quickly. It could be solving puzzles late at night, relying on a trusted colleague, or the satisfaction of seeing their work come to life. This clue can help identify another corner of the tech field that might still be a good fit. You could introduce them to professionals who have made a lateral move instead of leaving entirely, such as moving from a startup to a hospital for support engineering, developer education, product, data, or internal tools.
In some cases, your mentee might truly be done with tech. They might choose to teach, run a family business, or retrain as a nurse. While this is a significant decision, it's important to remember that leaving tech isn't the only path. Your role evolves if they decide to leave. Focus on helping them leave well - discuss money and timing, their transferable skills, and the importance of maintaining a good relationship.
Be alert for signs of exhaustion, not just work-related dissatisfaction. If they seem flat across the board, gently suggest they consult a professional for mental health, assuring them you'll be there regardless of their decision.
Ultimately, mentoring isn't about recruiting people to stay in your world. It's about helping one person see their own choices clearly and then supporting their decision.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
