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On mentors, is it true that you’d be better off at a big company?

I’ve been looking for good mentors for years but have been stuck at startups. I worry that mentorship will escape me if I get on the wrong team at FAANG. I feel like this is the #1 thing limiting in my career. (Good guidance) I can’t imagine having a mentor who isn’t on my team who would actually want to mentor me.

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Many large companies have structured mentorship programs, but this is mostly for onboarding. Your mentor will help you learn about the company itself, e.g. all the different internal practices, tooling, teams, etc. (This is nothing to sneeze at, given how big these orgs can be!) It may include some more general career development but this is often aimed at early-career folks.

For more general mentorship, especially as your career develops, it’s the same as anywhere, you have to find someone you get along with and who can help you learn. The advantage at a big company is that there’s a huge pool of potential mentors, and you can see their calendars and coordinate more easily than if you were hunting in the community. :)

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