Mentorship: 'tis Overrated

In engineering at least..

​It's quite the common story. A recent graduate engineer, now ready to start their professional engineering career, thinks that now that they have graduated they need to find a workplace with an experienced senior engineer. Why do they think this and is it true?

There is romanticized notion of the engineering mentor: but is it true?

Why?
The graduate can almost see him, for the mentor is often assumed to be a man, in their mind. Gray hair and a lined forehead from years of contemplating and conquering engineering challenges; clothing a touch less formal than his peers, because he is more interested in the outcome than vanity; an experienced and trained engineering brain; a gruff disposition, because years of experience dealing with real-world problems has taught him a healthy contempt for textbook learning and the ideas from others of less practical experience, but they still have both avuncular friendliness and drive to take a young engineer under their wing; he is a source of wisdom on how to be an engineer, sharing all those mysterious engineering essentials never taught in any engineering degree; and, thanks to his ability, the sometimes grudging respect of his colleagues. The things they could learn from him. The confidence such knowhow would offer. The benefits to their career progression.

The Truth
But the truth is, if you do try to find a mentor, you will likely find one who has developed habits as opposed to insights. One who has likely forgotten what you know - being a recent graduate - because they have not had to use it for years. And one who is unlikely to have made any attempt to learn from other experts or literature - most engineers just don't do that. It is likely that they can give advice applicable to their industry, but even that might be more aligned with common practice as opposed to skills that will help you evolve into a true engineer - one who is ingenious.
In short, you will probably find someone who is not actually that much more qualified as an engineer than you are. 
Just one who has experience in their respective (and specific) field. Enough experience to be able to recall solutions - as opposed to synthesising something new - and to feel confident in that solution - such that you might be impressed with them at first encounter. 
So you might feel you have a mentor, but in reality, you will not progress as much as you could.
Only skill wise though. 
I have seen some engineers elevate to high professional levels (managers of departments even) simply because they were the only one available at the time. In fact, if your "mentor" retires or gains employment elsewhere, then you might find that you simply slide into their role. Especially if you have a good relationship so they speak highly of you and the employer likes the ideas of stability (and staying with people they know). This is more aligned with networking, which you should always engage in, and politicking, which can be viewed as a professional skill and something that is outside the focus of this blog. 
This blog is focused on engineering skill. And the truth is that you are unlikely to find a mentor who can genuinely help you with this post-graduation.
I am not saying you do not need to learn more after you graduate. Engineering practice is more than the practice of engineering. You will need to learn more about engineering and continue to do so throughout your career. 

A better alternative
So let’s talk about better ways of doing this. Ways that are better than having a mentor.
The first option is to read about research into engineering expertise. In my book on Global Engineering I mention a paper by Nigel Cross. The one summarising the findings from research into the ways world class engineers think. Papers like that are an excellent source of information on how to improve as an engineer. These papers are ideal because of the analysis by the researchers - it is more informed, disciplined and insightful than what you will likely gain from a mentor.
The next option is studying the history of engineering. Especially the exceptional engineers throughout history. Because of what they achieved, you know they are especially well skilled. Not to say others are not - it’s just that you can be sure those who made history are. This study can be via books or documentaries. Check out the library on the website for a collection of ideal references. 
There is also; the mastermind. This was put forward by Napoleon Hill in his book focused on what made for successful people: Think and Grow Rich. The basic principle is that a group of people is better than one. This gets back to the networking I was supportive of above. If you have a number of experienced engineers you can call upon as you confront challenges throughout your career, then you have something far superior to a single mentor. Note, these can also be online - and your network can be global.

Summary
Mentors are not what many expect, and, given the available knowledge on engineering practice and the networks available to access, you can take responsibility for your own development.

Postscript - The Other Side
While having a mentor is not as advantageous as many think, there is an advantage to being a mentor. It is called the protégé effect. When you teach something, you better understand it. You then apply it better. And you become a better engineer. You can benefit from this by being a mentor or by teaching. So be a part of other people’s masterminds when you can, share the knowledge you have when you can, and take any teaching opportunities you can.

Post-postscript - The Other Realms
Everything above is about professional engineering. There are other roles that are less well documented. Especially roles like management, CTO, CEO, VPs etc. The more esoteric roles will likely require mentorship for the sake of networking and insights unique to the company and culture on how leaders are selected.