In my One Minute Mentor book post previously, I mentioned I was going to be an adult-adolescent mentor.

The program has since concluded and I finally manage to sort out my thoughts on my involvement in this initiative.

I finally met my mentee for the first time at the company organised event late last year.

I mentioned I used to be in HR. She said she is keen to go to HR. I believe we were matched according to experience and interest.

I asked her on her hobbies and she said swimming. Her dad wanted her to take up life guard certificate. I asked what is stopping her. She said yeah she could go take it up.

She sound like she’s going with whatever I said and not having a mind of her own.

HELP.

I might have confused the hell out of her instead of giving her more clarity.

I asked her about further studies and she said it is difficult for polytechnic students to enter local universities.

I told her she actually don’t need a HR certificate to practice HR unless she wants to teach and I shared the story of an ex colleague who is much younger and drawing double my pay. In fact most of my younger friends who didn’t take a career break are all earning much more than me.

Local diploma, degree from distance learning. Hence, I don’t see why she should be hung up on insisting on attending a local university.

During the ice breaking session with other mentees, I realized youngsters nowadays want to know which job makes the most money. How can they get a job in the organisation etc.

Be a trader, be the cream of the crop or a mortgage broker. Anything that involves sales will make better money. Do it while you are young and have the energy.

Which trade earns the most money and how to be promoted fast seemed to be what they are after.

You can earn money from property sales and earn quite a bit but everything involves hard work. More than often, hard work don’t translate into sales. Of course I didn’t say that.

No matter how much I share, I think they will only learn and remember in the school of hard knocks.

More on my mentoring journey here.