Build your network. Mentors and mentees are essential throughout the course of your career. From my school days to my graduation to joining Oxane, there have always been people who were willing to guide me and provide advice, helping me ask the right questions, and figure out my goals and the best way how to achieve them.

Jump-starting a career in finance

When I started working as a fresh engineering grad who had left his IIT Kanpur dorm for a new cubicle in a finance firm, I had no idea what the future held for me. Passionate for numbers my love for math motivated me to jump-start a career in finance as my other classmates continued to work in mechanical engineering. However, within a year it became clear to me that this was not going to be a sprint but rather a marathon, and if one had to be in it for the long haul, then you ought to need someone who believes in you, challenges you, and yet powers you. While your family and loved ones do play that role off the track, having a mentor, and a coach can help get over many challenges on the track.

How mentoring and reverse mentorship can help unlock your potential

Even in an era of constant career changes, mentors are those constants that are instrumental in guiding and shaping the careers of young 20-somethings. They are ordinary people with the extraordinary ability to transfer knowledge from one person to another.

Leaders who have traversed the path that their mentees are about to embark on. They understand the challenges and obstacles that come with a particular career path and can offer timely intervention. Whether you listen to their advice or not of course is a personal choice, but as a young professional, I have had the privilege of being mentored by a few exceptional individuals who have played a crucial role in my development.

Though identifying them wasn't the easiest task, I always used two indicators that I attributed to when it came to spotting a mentor.

• It is someone with whom I was comfortable talking and voicing my thoughts with
• It is someone who stops you from curling into your comfort zone and yet pushes you to do better

Turning dreams into reality

If someone ticked well on these two indicators, I ensured I heard them. Especially in my early days. They provided me with a roadmap for navigating my career, helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses, and offered suggestions for improvement. They also shared their own experiences, both successes and failures, which provided me with valuable insights into what to expect and how to handle different situations. It was this right balance of honest feedback and constructive criticism that was also crucial in helping me improve and grow professionally. It is those experiences of having someone to talk to when the chips were down,and to have someone to share my burdens with when the stakes were high, that inspired me to embrace the learning curve that came with being a mentee as well as a mentor!

Challenging the status quo

Given the positive impact that mentorship has had on my career, it was only natural that my interest in it would pique as I climbed the ladder. Today, as someone who leads a team of 5, I believe that being a mentor allows me to learn in return and stay relevant.

I try my best to put on the mentoring hat from time to time when a team member needs me to do so! Luckily many younger team members who are just starting with us are smarter than most of us. It makes the process easier. They are keen on learning and exploring. They are confident, not afraid to speak up, ask for help, and seek advice when they need it.

To all such 20-somethings, who are not afraid to challenge the status quo and are yet open to learning:

"Be hyper-focused on finding yourself a mentor. Especially in your 20s!"

Growth is an incremental slow process

A good mentor is certainly not perfect. They are flawed and understand that careers and life can get messy! Which is why they enable you to embrace your own imperfections. They offer a hand, and a grip during the early stages of your career when you are still learning the ropes.

"So be bullish in seeking out opportunities for learning and development. Network. Connect. Explore. You don't have to climb Everest to emerge as a winner or run the 10K next week!""

Growth is an incremental slow process. So go ahead, pick that book you've been wilfully avoiding reading, the class you've been meaning to take, practice a hobby that makes you happy, or apply for that role that you know will help you grow. Go at it and claim your spot. A good mentor may even teach you to fish, but at the end of the day, if you do not know how to cook it to perfection or do not even like fishing in the first place then there is only so much, he/she can do!

Working with us means connecting with dreamers and doers who will enable you to not be afraid of dreaming big and being mentored by leaders who encourage you to challenge your limitations!

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