IDK if this offends someone, but the entire Mentorship industry is highly overrated.
I grew up in a middle-class family where my father worked in a Government PSU.
He moved out of his village at an age of 17 to pursue his higher education and then took up civil engineering.
My parents had no idea about management consulting or #MBA. However, I had what they didn't- The Internet.
Growing up, I read articles and watched youtube videos on skills, and opportunities in management consulting, learning during the journey.
My batchmates at St. Stephen's College, Delhi's were as clueless as I was about these topics.
Fascinated by the sector, I picked up skills through the internet and my first job at 21 was in a boutique consulting firm if not BCG.
And then later I learned more and cracked Indian School of Business MBA at 25 and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) at 26.
This is not to say, I didn't have help in my 20s. I worked smartly to get my foot inside relevant doors and had help from the leaders in the organizations I worked in form of recommendation letters.
But, I never looked up to my bosses to take me from point A to B and answer all my life questions.
I understand life in the 20s can be messy.
I get almost 200 messages every day asking me to be their mentor and I understand not everyone's learning curve is the same.
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But, let me share the honest reality.
Most people who thrive in their #careers, research extensively free information on the internet, take action, fail, and try again rather than whining over lack of mentorship or opportunities.
I say all the above as a CO-CEO of an edtech startup. And when someone asks me whether Global Governance Initiative is for them.
I ask back whether they have learned from free information on Youtube, tried, and failed before.
If not, go into the real world, fail and see if you even need us. If yes, we are happy to now help.
While there are multiple paths to achieving success,
But let me share the bitter reality- if you are just focused on finding a mentor for your startup/job switch/MBA dreams, then all you will just get is a Mentor.
Not necessarily career excellence!
Author - Shatakshi Sharma, Cofounder Global Governance Initiative, Ex- BCG, Advisor, Tony Blair Institute
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