Mentoring in Career Choice and Development

Finding a career mentor may be more important than you think. Dr. Kijana Crawford gave a riveting presentation today on the crucial role a mentor plays in a person's career success.

Through extensive research, Dr. Crawford found common themes among those professionals that had no mentors. Dr. Crawford found that these professionals entered their careers by happenstance, often through ads in newspapers. They focused on gaining entry into their fields but once there, they did not know how to advance to higher positions. Having a mentor could have helped these professionals gain entry into the career of their choice and show them how to advance to higher positions.

Electrical Engineering Technology alumnus Garfield Taylor, class of 1986, advised current students to take advantage of their opportunities. He said, "I left RIT during the ‘brutal times.’ We didn't have mentors in Engineering. We were told 40% of us wouldn't make it. That started to change in the 80’s with the changing administration." Today, the institution's faculty provide mentoring opportunities that previous students never had.

Dr. Kijana Crawford's presentation was funny, informative, and downright riveting. With 36 years of teaching and research at RIT behind her message, she captured the auditorium with the power of her voice and commanded the audience with her speaking style. Her message was clear: if it is career fulfillment you seek, then make your first step now. Find a mentor. Find two mentors. Become one yourself.