Empowerment Through Guidance: CompTIA Community Mentors and Mentees Share their Experiences

We are all very different. Our strengths, our weaknesses, our challenges and our attitude make up who we are as human beings. And the diversity of people positively contribute to the success of any business. But amongst our differences are some shared experiences. It’s when we connect with others to learn from their experiences and bond over shared experiences that the magic really happens. The CompTIA Community Mentorship Program is built upon this very idea.

Launched at ChannelCon 2023, the first cohort of the CompTIA Community Mentorship Program, consisting of 10 mentors and 10 mentees, officially “graduated” at the CompTIA Communities and Councils Forum (CCF) 2024 in Chicago. Open to all CompTIA Community members, the mentorship program welcomes seasoned professionals looking to give back and newcomers seeking guidance from more seasoned veterans. Here’s a look at what both mentors and mentees had to say about their experience in the program.

The Mentee Experience

Andrea McGlothin, senior account executive at Moovila, says that mentorship guided her to find her voice—which helped her turn her personal growth story into an inspiration for professional success and deeper connections within the MSP ecosystem.

“I wanted to build a presence on LinkedIn and I didn’t know where to start. [My mentor and I] started talking about it and she taught me so much. She told me that people want to hear my story. I was seeing success almost immediately and it’s because of the advice she gave me.”

Nick Hansen, COO at Crosshair Cyber, was looking for guidance in building new business and expanding his operational abilities to generate exceptional business value.

“I walked in the door and didn’t know what to expect. But I met my mentor and we got along. He gave me a lot of tips and insight and I now consider him a friend. He helped me with the technical stuff, but he’s also a good person and I’m happy I had the opportunity to meet him.”

Annie Hills, content marketing manager at GreatAmerica Financial Services, says her mentorship experience gave her the confidence to advocate for herself with her leaders and her employer.

“One of my professional development goals was to find a mentor. I was paired up and we clicked immediately. One of the first things we talked about was the importance of having a sponsor—which is someone a few levels above you in the organization that can speak for you when you’re not in the room. Having that gave me confidence and I’m really grateful for the program.”

The Mentor Experience

MJ Patent, CMO at Logically, says she found mentoring to be incredibly rewarding, especially being able to witness advice in action and seeing a positive impact.

“Being involved in the mentorship program from the beginning was really important to me because I’ve gained a lot from my mentors in my career and I wanted to give back. Being able to support another female in the tech industry was really fulfilling. Seeing the joy and accomplishments and celebrating every single win was rewarding.”

Mark Sokol, vice president of marketing at CyberFOX, says the mentorship program was a good experience and he appreciates not only giving back to an individual but also collectively investing in the future of the tech industry.

“My mentee was all over the place trying to do a bunch of different things. I was a sounding board. I listened to what he had to say and offered advice.”

Cynthia Mooney, enterprise global account manager at HP, says that you aren’t alone when you volunteer to be a mentor. There are CompTIA Community resources to help you determine how you want to structure your mentorship.

“The first time I had a mentor they challenged me and pushed me to make sure I was making decisions strategically and with intention, and I wanted to be able to pass that on. There’s no background needed to become a mentor—I just leveraged the mentor sessions I’ve had in the past.”

Your Mentorship Experience

Another cohort of the CompTIA Community Mentorship program will begin soon. Mentors and mentees are matched on areas of interest and expertise, including but not limited to:

• Sales and marketing
• Cybersecurity
• Business development
• Managed services
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• Advancing women in technology
• Finance and operations
• Data analytics

The program—available to all CompTIA Community members—is designed to be short-term, but participants can choose to continue an informal mentoring relationship.