# The SDMB Mentor Program **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304 "2003-04-26T12:36:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/1 "2003-04-26T12:36:24Z")
As we are all aware, this place is jam-packed with people with the most amazing skills, knowledge, talents and what have you. We are also a generous bunch who love to share our knowledge with others hungry to learn. This led to me thinking that we could take this to an extra level. As well as all the help that is on the boards, which is often of a very specific nature, maybe we could team up for more in-depth “training” in various areas. If somone offered to mentor you, you could exchange IM addys for example and have a more in-depth contact. So, let’s say somone posts “I want to learn Swedish, and would love a Swedish speaking mentor”, I might take them on and we could email a couple of times a week, or have an IM session each week where we work on it. If somone agreed to take me on and mentor me as a newbie-programmer then they would agree to try and answer the questions that are so stupid they aren’t even in the FAQs, or even just to encourage me when I am feeling stupid and that there is no point trying to learn this. If we are going to do this, I rekon it makes most sense to have people request a mentor and let somone pick you up. If people put down what they can offer they might get spammed out by screaming aprentices. So, what you think? ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/2 "2003-04-26T13:03:50Z")
I think it’s a great idea! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kitarak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kitarak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitarak)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/3 "2003-04-26T14:10:26Z")
I’d also like to add my support to the idea - I’d be happy to mentor one or two people in various subjects (Admittedly a rather small set of ‘various subjects’, but various nonetheless. 🙂 ), and might even put in a request for a mentor at some point. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/4 "2003-04-26T15:50:04Z")
I’d be willing to help with questions about writing science fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/5 "2003-04-26T16:52:38Z")
Great idea! More than willing to lend a brain cell or two on various subjects. What areas are people interested in? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/6 "2003-04-27T12:39:00Z")
Awesome idea, imo. I guess I’m not good enough at any one thing to offer my services as a mentor but I hope this concept takes off. I’d love to see it happen. Anyone wanna teach me Spanish? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/7 "2003-04-27T13:01:31Z")
Any Mechanical Engineering students out there or young engineers? Drop me a line. Haj ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/8 "2003-04-27T13:29:42Z")
Sounds like fun. Anyone who wants to get into puzzle construction, feel free to contact me – or gardening. (See all the various gardening threads I’ve posted to 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/9 "2003-04-27T13:50:53Z")
I’m up for a language exchange 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/10 "2003-04-27T14:32:50Z")
So many chiefs, not enough indians! I’ll be an indian. Anybody in expert in making a million dollars in a year or less? Any and all advice on this subject would be very appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/11 "2003-04-27T15:32:21Z")
I’m with Biggirl :D. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/12 "2003-04-27T16:34:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > Anyone wanna teach me Spanish? 😃 Are you interested in conversational or structural Spanish? Structural would include the how/when/why to conjugate the verbs as well as general vocabulary. Se hablo espanol 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/13 "2003-04-27T16:56:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Washte \* > \*\*Are you interested in conversational or structural Spanish? > \*\* Uhhh, the first one I guess…? I have a friend that knows like 9 different languages and he always used to tell me that the big problem with the way they teach foreign languages in US schools is that they start you off with all the grammar and proper sentence structure and stuff (which you know is true if you’ve ever taken a class here.) He believed you should learn enough to get by at first and the rest would come later. ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/14 "2003-04-27T17:00:59Z")
Absolutely. Get the basics then worry about the particulars. If you are interested, drop me a line with the things you’d like to learn and I’d be more than happy to help. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/15 "2003-04-27T20:47:47Z")
Ha! Now that I have lured you all in, anyone want to hold my hand as I try to learn an object-oriented programming language? I am thinking either Java, Symbian or C++. I have some previous experience in for example php, but I usually need concepts explained to me with analogys (“if you think of it like a house, then…”). My problem is similar to that mentioned of foreign languages, they expect you to learn all the grammar first 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/16 "2003-04-27T20:52:52Z")
Ha! Now that I have lured you all in, anyone want to hold my hand as I try to learn an object-oriented programming language? I am thinking either Java, Symbian or C++. I have some previous experience in for example php, but I usually need concepts explained to me with analogys (“if you think of it like a house, then…”). My problem is similar to that mentioned of foreign languages, they expect you to learn all the grammar first 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/17 "2003-04-27T21:25:17Z")
Hey, **Haj**. Are you at UCSB or living in SB making a living? What does an ME do in real life? Take me to work on Monday. (No big deal, of course. I’m just always on the lookout for things to learn.) I’ve been involved in manufacturing and design but all of my structural ideas were based on the TLAR protocol. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/18 "2003-04-27T21:48:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > \*\*Ha! Now that I have lured you all in, anyone want to hold my hand as I try to learn an object-oriented programming language? > > I am thinking either Java, Symbian or C++. I have some previous experience in for example php, but I usually need concepts explained to me with analogys (“if you think of it like a house, then…”). My problem is similar to that mentioned of foreign languages, they expect you to learn all the grammar first 😉 \*\* Sure, I’m in. I can help you with Java or C++, as I’ll be getting a BS in CompSci, well…tomorrow, really, but won’t get the diploma for 3 weeks or so. [mike@vanne.net](mailto:mike@vanne.net) , if you want to email me any questions you’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/19 "2003-04-27T21:58:45Z")
**Flymaster** , Would you mind if I pick your brain a bit too on OOPL? Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304/20 "2003-04-27T22:20:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > **So, let’s say somone posts “I want to learn Swedish, and would love a Swedish speaking mentor”, I might take them on and we could email a couple of times a week, or have an IM session each week where we work on it.** Oooh! Oooh! How did you know I want to learn Swedish? Now you’ve stepped in it… 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-mentor-program/171304.md?page=2)