Finding Mentors As A Junior Software Engineer

Dev Leader Weekly 103

Dev Leader

Jul 26, 2025

TL; DR:

It's not always just ONE person.
Growth doesn't have to come from mentors either!
Check out the livestream on Monday, July 28th at 7:00 PM Pacific (or watch the recording!)

Finding Mentorship as a Junior Developer

So you just landed a job as a software developer. Congrats! This is an AWESOME achievement!

But... then it hits you:

You're the only developer on the team. No senior engineers. No tech leads. No one to turn to.

Now what?

If you're in this situation, you're not alone. It's more common than people think, especially in startups, small businesses, or internship gigs. I had two of my six internships in this exact situation.

And while it feels like you're at a disadvantage, this can be a huge opportunity--if you learn to approach mentorship differently.

Let’s talk about how.

Rethink What Mentorship Means

When people hear "mentor," they usually picture a senior developer with decades of experience offering regular wisdom over coffee chats.

But real-world mentorship doesn’t always look like that. In fact:

You don’t need one perfect mentor
You don’t need someone with many years of experience
You don’t need a formal, recurring meeting on the calendar

What you need is access to insight, challenge, and accountability. That can come from lots of different places.

Actionable Tip: Consider building out a mentorship circle instead of hunting for a single guru. Think of it like:

One person you bounce technical ideas off of
Another you go to for career guidance
Someone else you follow online for mindset or philosophy

Or slice and dice this however you'd like to get feedback into different areas. You’re assembling inputs, not one all-knowing Yoda. (Although, if you can find a Yoda, definitely leverage the Yoda)

Look Beyond Your Workplace

If you're the only developer at your company, don't assume that mentorship has to come from your company.

In fact, getting perspectives from outside your organization can often be better:

Fewer biases from internal politics
Broader exposure to other tech stacks, architectures, and norms
Diverse approaches to communication, leadership, and problem solving

The world is bigger than your codebase. It's bigger than your team. It's bigger than the organization you operate in.

Actionable Tip: Start simple! You can reach out to someone you respect online. You can do this with someone you meet at a meetup, hackathon, or conference too!

Send a short, respectful message like:

"Hey, I’m early in my dev career and really admire your work on/at X Y Z. I’d love to learn from your experience. Would you be open to a quick async Q&A or a short call?"

Some people won’t respond. Some will say no. But others will say yes. Be ready when they do.

My personal preference with this kind of thing is to work on building up a relationship first for a better rate of success. Generally, people want to help, but they also want to feel like it's worth it for them to invest time in you and that you're serious about it.

Learn From Your Peers

This might sound backwards, but:

The people who challenge you the most don’t have to be more experienced than you.

In fact, you might learn the most from people who:

Ask tough questions about your decisions
Bring fresh eyes to old problems
Disagree with you and force you to defend your reasoning

At past jobs, I learned a ton from people who technically reported to me--because they pushed me to think better. To this day, these are some of the people I respect the most, not only technically, but as leaders in their own right.

I talk more about this in my video on Code Commute:

Actionable Tip: Don’t dismiss someone just because they’re earlier in their career. Instead, ask yourself:

Do they care about doing great work?
Do they think critically?
Can they explain their ideas clearly?

If yes, that person could be someone you can learn from. Sometimes people who are one or two steps ahead of you in a particular area can be some of the best to learn from -- it's still relevant for them, and they've just been successful with it.

Network With Purpose

You’ve heard it before: “Go network.” I've already even hinted at it during this newsletter (hackathons, meetups, conferences... right?)

But what does that actually mean when you’re looking for mentorship?

It means finding ways to:

Meet other developers
Ask thoughtful questions
Build mutual respect over time

This doesn't have to mean awkward mixers or cold DMs every day. I get it -- this is probably way overkill for most of us. I know for me it would be wildly uncomfortable and something I probably couldn't talk myself into doing.

Actionable Tip: Pick one of these to try in the next 7 days:

Comment on 3 posts from developers you admire on LinkedIn or Twitter
Attend a local or virtual dev meetup and ask one question -- it doesn't have to be to the whole group, but engage in some conversations!
Join a Discord or Slack group focused on your tech stack. Ask a question there.

Consistency beats intensity. You don’t need a breakthrough moment--you just need more connections.

Consider Paid Mentorship (But Only If It Fits)

You don’t need to pay for mentorship.

But for some people, it’s a good fit:

You get structure and accountability
You’re more invested because you’re financially committed
You get access to someone with proven experience

This isn’t a magic bullet. And it’s definitely not required. But it can accelerate your growth if the right opportunity comes along.

I know that for me, I have yet to consider this for my professional career in software development, but I have done this in other areas of my life:

For my amateur competitive bodybuilding, I hired a coach for dieting and workouts. Did I know how to lift weights? Yup. Did I have any challenges with food? Nope. But having accountability to someone else made it MUCH easier for me to focus.
For my YouTube channel(s) I have used coaches to help with breaking through plateaus. After publishing more than 600 videos on YouTube, I have STILL paid for YouTube coaching.

Actionable Tip: If you’re exploring paid mentorship, look for:

Transparent track records (not just good marketing). Know anyone through referrals?
Alignment with your goals (tech skills? career progression? leadership?)
Clear expectations (calls? async chat? office hours?)

And don’t be afraid to ask: “Can we try a one-off session before committing long term?” This can be a great way to find a good fit for BOTH of you before a larger commitment.

Tap Into Your Manager (If They’re a Good Fit)

Even if your manager isn’t technical, they might still be a valuable mentor--especially around things like:

Communication
Stakeholder management
Prioritization
Influence

And if your manager is a former developer, all the better. That's even more potentially very relevant experiences for you to be able to tap into.

Just be honest about what kind of help you’re looking for. Most managers want to support their reports--they just don’t always know how. They might be covering the basics, but if there are areas you know that you'd like to grow more, do make it known!

Actionable Tip: In your next 1:1, say:

"I’m trying to be more intentional about my growth. Are there any areas you think I should be focusing on right now?"

Or if you know what you want:

"I want to improve my ability to own small projects end-to-end. Would you be open to coaching me on that when opportunities come up?"

They might even be able to recommend someone on the team (or another team!) that could be an even better fit for guiding you through things.

Create the Environment You Need to Grow

Growth doesn't have to come directly from formal mentorship. It doesn’t need to come from a person. It comes from the environment.

Ask yourself:

Do I have autonomy?
Do I feel safe making mistakes?
Am I given challenging problems?

Some of the best years of growth in my career were very early on. Being at a startup where I was given a lot of trust, autonomy, and a safe place to fail -- these were key ingredients for allowing me to grow. When this was combined with being surrounded by other people who wanted to push the boundaries (even if they didn’t have years of experience ahead of me), I learned a tremendous amount.

Actionable Tip: Talk to your manager about creating the right environment. Try this:

"One thing that helps me grow is working on things a little outside my comfort zone, with room to try and fail safely. If something like that comes up, I’d love to volunteer."

Be more straightforward about asking for opportunities -- especially if you know there is a direction you want to move in.

Final Thought: Put Yourself Into It

If you want to grow, you have to want it. No mentor can replace that. No mentor makes that happen for you.

I had SIX internships when I was in university before I started off in my professional career. And back then, I didn’t take my growth seriously. I just wanted to do my job from 9-5 and go play video games afterward.

It's actually hard for me to remember having this mindset now, honestly. But the turning point?

Being given real responsibility. Being trusted. Being in a place where I could go all in.

That’s when things changed for me, personally.

So just remember:

You don’t need the perfect mentor to grow. It could be multiple people. It could be a more supportive environment.
You need the right mindset to want to grow. Nobody will do this for you.

Dev Leader Weekly