In his Time Out and Thanks essay for Oracle Magazine Tom Kyte looks back on his career and makes this observation:
I think the most important contributing factor to my success comes down to one word: mentor.
Tom then describes how a colleague ten years his junior passed along insight and best practices that Tom went on to pay forward over the past thirty years. It's a great story, and it's one that surely isn't uncommon in any profession. But how often do you get the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the people who have directly influenced your career? Not often enough, I suspect. So let's rectify that situation with this discussion.
Who is the one person who had -- or continues to have -- the greatest influence on your IT career? Was it an educator? A manager? A colleague? Who's the individual most responsible for sending you down the path that brought you to where you are today, and whose influence continues to shape where you're going tomorrow? Do you still seek advice from your mentor?
And let's take it a step further. Are you now mentoring anyone? What are you doing to pay it forward? Share your story. Your responses will form the basis for an upcoming article in Oracle Magazine. Selected responses will be quoted with full attribution.
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@"Bob Rhubart-Oracle"