Over the years I've had to mentor a number of junior programmers. I enjoy doing it and when someone asks me for help I'm always willing to make some time. The first thing I do is try and figure out how much they already know. At that point I will recommend things that I think will help them along and this might include:

• Going to a class
• What books to read
• A simple assignment to complete

Normally after just a couple of sessions with a person it is pretty easy to see if things are going to work out. I think it is interesting how some people think they can simply go to a class and become an expert. In my opinion the reading and working on assignments are the main way to really learn. However, this reading and working on assignments usually need to be done at home at night during what would usually be this person's free time. The willingness of a person to do their homework tells me if they are serious or not and how much time I should invest in them.

The reason for this is the process of "doing their homework" is an indication of how much passion they have in their work. I find that not many people have this passion and that is fine with me. It leaves more room for the rest of us. That might sound cold but we all need to make decisions about who and what we want to be in life.

On a slight tangent this is why outsourcing IT job in the United States is something I have a hard time understanding. A person with an MBA will tell us "IT workers are going the way of the U.S. Autoworkers of the 1980's." Interesting... I bet the autoworkers of the 1980's didn't spend a weekend reading a technical book like Jump Into Spring to learn their craft better and then apply that knowledge to their employer or client in the upcoming week. Did your average factory worker with a graduate degree who still attends at least one technical class a year to maintain a working knowledge of a new programming language, product or new way of doing things? I doubt it. IT professionals need to invest a lot of time and energy to do what it is they do.

I'm ranting, but my point is that in order to be a successful IT professional a person needs to do their homework and I mean that literally. I'm sure that is the case in other professions as well but I think this is especially so in IT. If that is not something you are willing to do find another profession to try and make a living in it.