Mentorship

Have you ever had a mentor? Someone who took you under their leadership and trained you within a particular profession or life direction. They help us in determining what kind of person we will become.

I have always heard "find a mentor" - but rarely ever have I heard "here's how to find a mentor." Sometimes the relationship starts organically, without formality. How then do you know if you're being mentored or not? I always picture a sage with a much younger person next to him.

Take a look at the picture below. This is a promotional poster for the movie Limitless featuring Eddie and Carl. Notice see who is in the foreground and who is in the background? Look at the way each is dressed.


This is the perception I think a lot of people my age have towards mentoring. We are GenX who are up-to-date with the latest tech trends and knowledge. We take short-cuts to get ahead while not developing the discipline that will help us once we are ahead. We're self-proclaimed geniuses. However, we are also cocky, arrogant, and prideful. We are very much Eddie (foreground), the guy who use mentors like Carl (background) as simply a stepping stone for their own career. It's not about the process, but the destination. In the film the mentorship-relationship quickly turns into a rivalry.

Now take a look at the photo below. This is from the TV legal series Suits featuring Harvey and Mike.

Do you notice how they are standing? How they are dressed? Where they're looking? The biggest difference that I see with Harvey (foreground) is that he is accomplished because he worked for it. He put in the time, energy, and sacrifice to get where he is. In the back is Mike. He is our GenX. Intellectually on the same level as Harvey, maybe smarter, however Mike still has much to learn. He understands the process, the self-discipline necessary to achieve success.

Similar observations can be made with this photo:


It is refreshing to see how each one learns from the other, and their character builds up because of it. The series will dive into each of their characters, not only deciding what kind of lawyer they will be, but what kind of person they will be.

#suits

Few shows have grabbed my attention from the very first episode without prior knowledge of its existence, and made me an instant fan. They include:

- CSI: I caught the episode where passengers aboard a commercial airplane are questioned over the mysterious death of a fellow passenger. I saw so much potential for this show, mostly due to its use of computer simulations and special effects (I was right; it has now spawned two more titles, all of which are still airing).

- 24: I caught the 3rd season premiere and was caught up in the suspense. It had such a great concept (an entire season happening in real-time, each episode representing one hour of a day) and ever since then wanted to fill my day where I do something spontaneously significant each hour.

- How I Met Your Mother: I caught the episode How I Met Everyone Else when the main character, Ted, is introducing the woman he is dating to his friends. The episode itself was funny, and when I caught myself up with all of the episodes it was fun to watch it again and better appreciate the history of each character.

The latest "instant fan" moment happened last week, when I caught the series premiere of suits. Whether you have heard about it or not, this legal "dramedy" is definitely one to check out. A college dropout genius who never went to law school but passed the bar exam bumps into a top attorney looking for an associate. Impressed with his knowledge of the law, the attorney hires him and thus the series begins a fascinating journey of "two lawyers, one degree."

If you're still uncertain, watch the trailer (or just the pilot) and tell me your thoughts.

Searching for "The One"

Hey Everybody!

First I'd like to thank you for getting your way to this post, whether it was via a link, search, or some Jedi mind trick. It's nearly the end of summer, and most people have already started preparing for the fall season, myself included. It has been a good couple of months with all the inexpensive mind vacations and self-reflection I have been on (not to mention eating loads of ice cream!) while determining my future.

Now, I'm leveraging the power of social networks to officially announce my search for "the one". That's right, somewhere over the hills and far away (or right here in busy Toronto) there is a boss wanting to hire me. They don't know it yet, and I need to find him or her!

Currently I'm looking at positions in the field of communications, especially within PR, social media, and event planning. I'm also interested in any non-profits that need help in this area whose mission and values are close to mine. Working for a university in an administrative/support role would also be excellent.

To help me with the search, I'm asking that you join the search effort in any way you know how. This could be through your time, talents, or other means.

Time
- If you can take a few moments to engage with your network and share the news that my job is out there somewhere, that would be A-mazing.

Talents
- If you or someone you know hosts a blogging or news article site that is looking for guest posts, writers, contributors, etc. then send me a message and I'll be happy to help (and you will help me add more to my portfolio)

- If you are passionate about web or graphic design, or know someone with the skills who is, I'm willing to learn from you! Maybe take an hour out of a day to go over a mini-tutorial and basics. Perhaps send me home with a project assignment and see how I blow beginner expectations out of the water. (Photoshop, etc)

- If you are a photographer, I am in need of a new profile picture for my LinkedIn and other social network avatars. Similarly, if you are into fashion style then I will need to go on a shopping trip to prepare for my future job. Need to look good for the first interview!

- If you want to just give me a Talent, that's helpful too. Apparently an Attic talent of silver was the "value of nine man-years of skilled work", according to the economy of Ancient Greece.

Other Means
- If you have friends, colleagues, coworkers that know of any opportunities then pass them my card! Don't have my card? Then send them this link, email me, and I will send you my card.

- If there is anything that comes to mind, feel free to let me know. The future of my career may even be a result of your help, in which case our future friendship looks promising.

- If you have any rich relatives who wish to help fund my expenses while the search continues, I would be most grateful. I will also send them a yearly Christmas card.

- If you're in the Toronto area and have a work party or networking event you'd like to attend but are unsure, consider me your +1. I love meeting new people, and what better way than to go with someone you know!

Note to potential employers: I am adding to my skills and abilities each passing day. I count every hour more valuable than the previous one, especially since this stat was reported. I am eager to meet you soon and discuss possible future possibilities. You can view my profile here. I enjoy long walks on the beach while keeping up-to-date with market trends from my mobile.


Everyone: Thanks for reading. I'm a loyal blue individual - I know because I took a test. Are you as excited to be part of the search as I am? The one for me is out there... It could even be you!


Disclaimer: The views expressed above are my own opinion and do not reflect the views of my employer.

#apeswillrise

I have noticed a recurring theme in many of the books I read and movies I watched recently, and that is the theme of nature and control. It is impossible to control everything, life is not designed that way. And as fictitious mathematician Ian Malcolm points out, "life always finds a way".

I am writing with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in mind, as that is the latest film that resonated the theme so well. If you are thinking of seeing it, go see it. I have a good sense when it comes to movies, and this one in particular was incredibly well done. I'm not talking about the CGI and the cool effects, either, but rather the character. It invests the first 1.5 hours really developing a connection with both human and ape, and captures emotion beautifully.

And that's what separates this film from the rest, this movie was not afraid to develop emotional ties with the characters. Instead of sacrificing story for thrill, the filmmakers chose to craft a very compelling history between the characters.

With many movies being rebooted (Hulk, Spiderman, Superman) recently, I am confident that this will be successful in its new storyline - similarly to what Nolan did with the Batman series.

Google Plus: Circles

Remember disposable cameras?

I loved them. You had to be precise with every shot, otherwise you risk losing a good picture. I think my success rate with disposables was 50/50, but the ones that turned out looked great. Even the process from taking pictures to getting them developed was an event; you take them to the store, tell your loved ones about that awesome trip and they want to see pictures, and soon after getting them developed you meet again to show off your photos and recount your adventure.

Usually the ones who got privy to those pictures were the ones you went to see in person: family, close friends, mentors. Fast forward to 2004 (2006 for me) with the emergence of Facebook. All of a sudden you have moved from film to digital and can instantly upload all of your pictures onto the internet for certain people to see. It's a great idea, but overtime as more and more people added you and entered your circle, a problem began to emerge. All of a sudden, photos that before you only shared with family, close friends, mentors became available to almost everyone. Suddenly that person you knew in high school ten years earlier and never spoke to since can find out about certain details about your life before others do.

Solution? I found what people do is shorten their list, remove people entirely. I found another solution via Google+ Circles. This is an opportunity to start over. I value Facebook because it has caught on quickly with practically everyone I know personally. I still value their input on things, and you just never know what benefit can come from a contact, so I refuse to remove a person. However, Google's circles feature allows me to decide in what order people receive information from me. It also allows me to filter information to certain groups who would be interested in a topic. For example, if 7 of 10 people in my network like discussing politics then why not create a circle for those 7 where I can post political topics.

The circles feature was the most discussed feature upon its release, yet I'm only now thinking the added value. Will I stop checking Facebook? If I ever do, it will not be because of Google+. G+ has given me a chance to start over, and possibly enhance my engagement with my own network.

In a sense it is like I'm starting over with a disposable camera again, only this time all my pictures turn out perfectly.