5

Virtual Reputation and Modern Mentoring

In the navy, I had the opportunity to earn the special designation of NEC code 4956, which signifies an advanced specialty in nuclear power plant related welding. But to join and complete the training program required for the designation, I needed to commit an additional six years to my length of service. At certain intervals, the leaders of the program would make cuts based on performance, and those who weren’t chosen were sent back to the fleet with a lesser designation. Of the 32 sailors admitted into the program each cycle, only four achieved the coveted 4956 designation. Through a lot of hard work, perseverance, and probably a healthy dose of luck, I managed to survive the cuts and graduate with ...

Get Modern Mentoring now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.