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> So--to the Wise Ones with Scads of Experience: Do you mentor the new writers in
> your world? If a singleton contractor, do you find yourself mentoring --in some
> form--at your client site? Do you refuse to mentor? Why? Does your
> company/department/manager have a stated policy, or a general practice?
We mentor writers all the time. In our experience, having more capable writers
around makes everyone's life a little easier. Plus they usually feel so goshdarn
grateful that when they learn something that you don't know, they're more than
willing to turn the tables and teach YOU.
When working on contract at a client site, it's not as easy to mentor junior
writers, largely because the client has such high expectations of our productivity.
If there is time and opportunity, and the environment allows it, we're glad to help
others.
There are other forms of mentoring, too, not quite so time-intensive as on-the-job
activities. We've been associated with DeAnza College's TechComm program for years,
serving on a board and occasionally speaking to Donna Dowdney's classes.
