Mentorship is underused and misunderstood. Nielsen Norman Group argues it is one of the highest-return career investments available, yet most designers and researchers talk themselves out of pursuing it before making a single ask.
The article opens with a concrete case: a solo designer at a low UX-maturity organization who grew resentful of developers, framing them as obstacles rather than collaborators. That reframe, from isolation to collaboration, is what mentorship made possible. The personal arc here is the argument, not decoration.
What makes the full piece worth reading is not the conclusion but the list of self-defeating assumptions the author systematically dismantles. If you have ever told yourself you are too junior, too senior, or too busy for mentorship, this is the article that challenges the specific logic behind each of those excuses.
[READ ORIGINAL →]