How mentoring turns goals into achievements: 3 real stories

Laura Salamat, city — Almaty, Enterprise Architect, expertise in EdTech and Industry 4.0, Instagram, Facebook,  Linkedin

I am a certified IT architect, currently serving as CDTO at NNEF, an expert in industrial digital transformation, recipient of the 2024 IT and Marketing Award in Central Asia and the Caucasus from Siemens Digital Industries Software, an active member of the Women in Tech community, and a permanent mentor for young people seeking their path in IT.

The word "mentor" originates from ancient Greek mythology and is derived from the name Mentor, a character in Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey." When Odysseus went to the Trojan War, he entrusted Mentor with the care of his son, Telemachus, and his guidance in life. Mentor became an example of a wise and caring mentor who helped the young man develop and learn to make independent decisions.

Mentorship as a Path to Success

Mentorship is not just professional training; it is genuine support, inspiration, and assistance needed to confidently move toward one's goals. Because of this, mentorship is often confused with coaching or training. The distinguishing feature of mentorship is not only motivation but also the development of necessary professional skills to achieve success. And sometimes this support becomes the decisive factor that turns goals into achievements.

The stories of my mentees clearly demonstrate the power of mentorship.

Story 1. How mentorship shapes professionals: Sanzhar Taipov

Sanzhar. When I came for mentorship, I was looking not just for knowledge, but for direction that could become my guiding star in the professional world. My goal was clear: to understand how to manage production processes and think strategically.

Laura. I immediately noticed his eagerness and willingness to learn. Together, we began to immerse ourselves in the world of implementing IT solutions in industrial enterprises. He participated in regional trips, observed how digitalization strategies were created, and developed ideas that could improve production processes. These two months of work not only enriched his knowledge but also showed him that his efforts could change reality.

A year later, I offered him an opportunity to participate in a new IT project. Today, Sanzhar Taipov works at the Atyrau Rolling Stock Plant, the first enterprise of such scale in Kazakhstan.

Watching growth is the greatest satisfaction for me as a mentor.

Story 2. How mentorship opens new horizons: the path of a humanities student into IT: Samat Sayakov

Samat. My mentorship story began when I was a student majoring in humanities. IT seemed distant and complex to me, but I understood that it was the heart of the new world, and I wanted to become part of this movement.

Instead of theoretical tasks, I worked on cases from large businesses, studying how digital solutions affect production processes. What became a real discovery for me was that my humanities skills, such as research and case analysis, could be applied in IT.

Laura. It is important to see potential in a person and help them unfold it. We worked together to remove his fear of IT, and at some point, I saw confidence appear in his eyes. That was a turning point.

Samat. After completing our program, I made a huge leap forward. I completed internships at major IT companies, gained experience in international startups, and successfully began building a career in product management. Today, I work in project management at inDrive, and I am proud to have been part of this journey.

Mentorship is not only an opportunity to share knowledge but also to watch as a person's potential unfolds.

Story 3. How mentorship helps find a path: Dana Oshakbay

Dana. I came to mentorship with the desire to develop and find my place in IT. My goal was to learn how to build a career and what skills were necessary for this. I started my mentorship program among the top 10 students from the university.

Mentorship gave me the opportunity to expand my theoretical knowledge obtained at the university and find a personalized path in IT.

Laura. Dana completed her master's degree, then her doctoral studies, and throughout all this time, she never stopped improving herself. Currently, Dana successfully works in the field of information security risk management at one of the leading banks in the country.

Additionally, I actively share my knowledge, teach Information Security at Astana IT University, and serve as Communication Director at ISACA — an international organization of information security professionals.

Laura. Currently, many students need mentorship who want to change something, find their path, or change their career direction. For example, Dana studied IT, but she is now in Information Security, or Samat, who did not study IT, applies his knowledge and skills and is successful in project management at a large IT company in the CIS region, or Sanzhar, who always wanted to connect himself with production but did not know how to do it correctly.

When mentorship changes lives — "the teacher comes when we are ready."

Mentors appear in our lives at the moment when we are ready for change. This idea is found in many philosophical traditions and reflects a key principle of learning: knowledge becomes valuable only if the student is internally ready to accept it.

These three stories show how important the role of a mentor is in supporting, inspiring, and guiding. A mentor truly comes when the student is ready, and this moment becomes the beginning of significant changes.

Today, the Women in Tech Kazakhstan community, a branch of Women in Tech® Global, is successfully developing in Kazakhstan, which has a platform where you can see current job vacancies, event announcements, communicate with like-minded people, become a mentor, or find one.