60 of the 71 SEED participants in the 2005-2006 terms are now matched with mentors. There are some intriguing pairings: a Distinguished Engineer in Boston, USA took one mentee in St. Petersburg, Russia and a second in Grenoble, France. A Senior Staff Engineer who works from home on an island near Seattle, USA accepted a mentee who works in Prague, Czech Republic. An executive lawyer took a Software Engineering Program Manager. A Strategic Marketing Vice President accepted a match with a senior usability Engineer. I very much look forward to hearing what kinds of new insights these relationships will develop.
The arrangements for partnership training are well advanced: SunU has contacted almost
all of the pairs about scheduling their 2 hour conference call. The training helps pairs launch their relationship well, establish expectations, and save time in the process. Since the needs of each Mentee are different, the session helps Mentors focus their efforts on their new partners so that they can offer the best possible support and encouragement.
Tomorrow morning, a Sun Fellow and an HR Manager will talk for an hour on “Engineering Career Paths” during SEED’s monthly phone-in meeting. In mid-September, we have scheduled a 2 day meeting of presentations, panels, and tours where everyone can get to know each other better.
The last 11 matches keep getting hung up on one person or another being on vacation but I have
good hopes of completing them before the terms start in September.
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