Taking Charge of Your Career (HBR Women at Work Series)

12

How to Find a Mentor

by Janet T. Phan

In the summer of 2004, I was 18 years old, preparing for my first year of college and looking for ways to fund my education. I was working double shifts at a fast-food restaurant and late nights at a movie theater, and yet, one day, I found myself at a gas station without enough money to fill up my tank.

I promised myself to do whatever it would take to never be in this situation again: one where I was living from paycheck to paycheck, working multiple jobs, and couch surfing to save money on rent. Working harder—in my case, 12-hour days—wasn’t getting me anywhere, but I knew that working smarter could. As the child of refugee parents from Vietnam, I didn’t have anyone at home who understood how to navigate ...