An "expensive" tutor - might save you thousands of dollars...

Let's talk about "value"

If you give me $100 - and I give you $1,000 - did it cost $100? - or was it free? - or... did I just give you $900? There are a lot of ways to think about it.

I haven't been tutoring people here for a while.

I've been busy building out a full curriculum over at Perpetual Education - but recently - I had some time and thought I'd check back in.

I answered 20 or so requests this last week that I thought were a perfect fit. They might as well have said - "I need a teacher named @sheriffderek." I teach people all around the web - and I know based on the way their request/question is worded - where they're at - and if I can get them back on track effectivly and quickly.

I didn't get a single response - so, either CodeMentor has shadow-blocked me, or people are choosing mentors based on their number of ratings, or that my price is to high.

So, I wanted to break that down as a design exercise:

If CodeMentor has blocked people from seeing me... this could be because I link to a URL in my response? This isn't to circumvent the payment system - it's just to give people a way to vet met in the bigger picture. Is it because I say "crap" too much? Hahaha. I'm not sure - but the things I say often scare people / and I think that's because I'm onto something. I'm getting used to being silenced. ; ) UPDATE Codementor reached out to me via email and explained that they do not do stuff like this - and offered some helpful advice. SO - they ARE listening! Which is really cool - because companies DO this all the time.

If people are basing their choices on 'stars' or the number of sessions - then they should take a minute to think about that. I've been on both sides - and I've picked out 'mentors' to talk through problems - and I never left a 4 start... because everyone wants to be nice... - but I've also had some pretty unhelpful teachers on here. The other thing - is that a person just learning HTML - is going to think that EVERYTHING is helpful.

Here's an exmaple ^. Every person thinks that their boot camp or school is the best - because they don't know any better. I love the positivity though!

There's no real way to know if you are being taught something well - if you don't know anything about it. So, I suggest - that if you are new - that you try and meet a few different people - and really get a feel for them. It's your time - and your money - and you'd better make sure you find a good connections. Some people really hound you. Some of us are just going to say hi once. The best mentors aren't going to beg and message you over and over again. "sup... still need help". Just because someone answers quickly - doesn't mean they are the best fit - it just means they are sitting there waiting for you.

And last... Price? CodeMentor makes us choose $60, $80, or $120. I get it. It's scary to meet a stranger... and see 20 or 30 bucks fly out of your bank account every 15 minutes... - but that goes to my second point above. If you're spending your time worrying about the clock - they are the wrong person. UPDATE ^ I'm not even sure how it used to be - but now the interface totally lets us choose any dollar price now. Maybe I'm imagining that it used to have those forced increments...

Most mentors - if you 'click' - and you intend to have a longer relationship - will lower their rate. Just meet them.

Get a free 15 minute talk first - and if you don't think you're going to save tens of hours of work by talking to them - then they aren't the right mentor.

With an hour or two a week - a mentor should be able to create a path for you. They should be able to show you the right books and give you the right challenges. A few hundred dollars here and there - will save you thousands. They shouldn't need to sit with you all day long holding your hand. They should be teaching how to learn on your own - and guiding you through the tough stuff.

If you aren't 100% sure - that your mentor is speaking your language - and parting the seas with you - then don't be afraid to meet more people. Try out many mentors! Time is your most precious commodity - so, if you pay 3 hours at $60 ($180)- and you learn a little... or you pay $120 for 1 hour - and you learn a lot / it's not about money. It's about connection. It's about - time / and character - and it's about your success.

You can do it.

THOSE ARE JUST SOME THOUGHTS! No intention to give Codementor a hard time whatsoever. I'm just reminding everyone to make the most of their time. "Quick fixes" and "Mentorship" are very different things. Sometimes it seems like mentorsihp is more expensive, but it's really the other way around.