Chemical Engineering May 2020 - 52

You and Your Job
Industry Mentors: An Integral
Part of Education
An experienced engineer who mentors young engineers and a student mentee share
their perspectives
Carl N. Rentschler and
Peter Capitano
M
entors provide critical
support and guidance
to students pursuing an
engineering education,
and complement coursework aimed
at readying a new engineer for the
workforce. Mentorships can be provided
by faculty, peers or industry
volunteers. This article focuses on
industry mentors who have the ability
to offer varied life experiences in
the workplace. This background is
unique compared to other mentorships,
because it is often publicfacing
and generally involves experience
from a variety of positions. In
the current and recent business climate,
industry mentors often faced
job changes through their careers,
and these provide experiences of
interest to students. This article provides
perspectives by both a longtime
industry mentor and a student
being mentored. The cross-section
of perspectives provides a thorough
assessment of industry mentorships.
Achieving an engineering degree
and preparing for a professional
career can be daunting, and helpful
guidance from an experienced
engineer can be of significant value
(Figure 1). Industry mentors can
provide constructive input based on
years of front-line experience in the
engineering profession. Establishing
a mentor/mentee relationship
provides benefits for both sides and
ultimately provides the guidance
needed by a student to embark on a
focused career. A mentorship takes
effort on both sides, and the results
are often in direct proportion to time
invested. Students are urged to
consider a mentor as part of their
educational process, and long-term
engineers are encouraged to volunteer
to guide students. The result
will be positive for both parties and
52
FIGURE 1. Achieving an engineering degree and preparing for a professional career can be daunting, and
helpful guidance from an experienced engineer can be of significant value
can lead to long-term relationships
that are mutually beneficial.
Mentor perspective
Highly experienced engineers and
engineers in the twilight of their careers
have extensive life and professional
experiences that were developed
through the highs and lows of
various positions. This background
can be helpful to young engineers
who are about to start their careers.
Many seasoned engineers, or those
already retired, feel a calling to " give
back " to others. Mentoring offers a
perfect opportunity to satisfy internal
interests in helping others, and
fills a need for new engineers to
gain guiding input as they embark
on their careers.
As experienced engineers approach
the end of their careers, it is
important to have meaningful activities
as a basis for continued stimulation
and learning. This provides
professional growth, even while an
individual's primary career is slowing
down. Mentorships provide this opportunity
for continued growth. Not
only is there significant satisfaction
in serving as a mentor, but there is
the likelihood that there will be learning
from the mentees. Students can
share their experiences and relate
the latest engineering techniques,
which are generally focused in the
automation areas. This leads to a
two-way interchange of ideas, and
it enhances the mentorship process.
Mentors have undoubtedly developed
a substantial network of
professionals through their years of
work. As discussed in previous articles
[1, 2], this has never been more
important as the business world
cycles up and down. Many mentors
started their careers with the idea
that they would retire from the company
that first hired them. This is
unheard of now, and the likelihood
of staying with one company for an
entire career is very remote. Networks
are very important in moving
through a career, and even landing
that first position. The industry mentor
will be quite helpful in guiding a
student on a path that requires a
growing network.
Mentee viewpoint
As the mentee co-author of this article,
I would like to describe a stuCHEMICAL
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