Mentoring has benefited me as it has allowed me to ask any questions I may have about the corporate world. It has helped me be accountable for the tasks I had set myself through my gap year and transition to my junior/ Trainee data engineer intensive Bootcamp then employee role (from A-Levels, not Uni). I have learnt in the last 6 months that you should take everything you see online with a pinch of salt even if is a person’s true reality they may be omitting large pieces of information that have got them there and finally to constantly set reminders to follow up on emails and opportunities as you never know even in pandemic situations may change. I would encourage young women to have a mentor as it allows you to proactively ask questions that can give you insights to your future and how you want to mould it as where you’re going your mentor has already been. I would encourage girls to also be open to mentors from different sectors as my mentor is in HR and that was really useful in understanding office politics and navigating the workspace or running experiences of people in the workplace I heard through podcasts by her and hearing her perspective.

Thanks to BelEve it has been a real delight, COVID actually made it easier. Our first meet up was in a Pret by London bridge and it wasn’t the easiest to get to so virtual meetups monthly were much better!