Hi! I invite you to a story about my first, extraordinary adventure as a mentor in Projekt Innowacje at the Lodz University of Technology. The winter semester of 2022 became a turning point for me – for the first time I had the honor of leading a group of six young enthusiasts through a fascinating journey along the cybernetic paths of web development. I am deeply convinced that cooperation and knowledge sharing are the foundations of our industry, and mentoring is one of the most beautiful ways to realize this philosophy. This experience taught me how invaluable the power of shared discovery is and how much can be learned by sharing passion.
First Steps in the Mentor Role – Challenge and Excitement
When I first heard about Projekt Innowacje, I immediately knew I wanted to be part of it. As a programmer with several years of commercial experience, I felt the time had come to give back to the community some of what I had learned myself. However, preparing for the first meeting with the group, I felt both excitement and some anxiety – can I pass on my knowledge in an understandable way? Will I manage to inspire students to discover this fascinating world of technology?
The first meeting dispelled my doubts. I saw authentic curiosity and a willingness to learn in the students’ eyes. That was the moment I realized that mentoring is not so much teaching as a shared journey where everyone learns from each other. Each student brought their unique perspective, their questions, and their challenges, which forced me to think more deeply about concepts I personally considered obvious.
Project Program – A Comprehensive Approach to Web Development
The project was designed to give students a holistic picture of modern web development. I didn’t want to focus only on coding – I wanted them to understand the entire ecosystem of application creation, from architecture through UI/UX to deployment and continuous integration. We dove into topics such as web application programming, software architecture, user authorization, database operations, CI/CD, user interface design, and project management.
This wide scope was both an asset and a challenge. On one hand, students received comprehensive knowledge that prepared them for work in real commercial projects. On the other hand, the intensity of the program required significant commitment and sometimes it was difficult to find time for in-depth practice of every topic. I learned that in mentoring it’s crucial to find a balance between the program’s ambition and the students’ realistic time possibilities.
Phase One – Foundations and Independence
We dedicated the first phase of the project to an introduction to technologies and preparing individual projects. Each student had to develop their own web application concept, which was a particularly exciting moment for me – watching how diverse ideas were born from one set of tools and requirements was fascinating.
The project creation process included three key stages:
- Planning the goal and functionality of the application
- Designing design prototypes
- Programming along with functionalities
The requirements were specific and reflected the realities of modern web development:
- Home page
- Authorization module
- Data management with CRUD
- Responsiveness
- CI/CD
The goal of this phase was to familiarize participants with the tools and processes necessary in a programming career. I wanted them to work like professional developers from the very beginning – with version control, automatic deployments, and thinking about the entire application life cycle.
Phase Two – Complexity of Real-World Projects
In the second phase, we introduced a full-fledged, more complex project, using all the tools and concepts learned in the introduction. This was the moment of truth – real understanding comes when you have to combine all elements into a coherent whole.
Watching the students at this stage was extremely instructive for me. Technologies had to work together, which showed that in real projects we rarely work with them in isolation. It was particularly satisfying to watch how students overcame subsequent challenges, learning debugging, reading documentation, and cooperation.
Challenges and Lessons – A Mentor’s Perspective
Leading the first edition of Projekt Innowacje taught me many valuable lessons:
First – I understood that every student has a different learning style and a different pace of acquiring knowledge. I learned to adapt the way of transferring knowledge to individual needs.
Second – I discovered that time constraints are a real challenge. The project lasted one semester, and the scope of material was extensive. Sometimes I had to make difficult prioritization decisions, understanding that the goal is not to pass on all the knowledge in the world, but to inspire further learning and give solid foundations.
Third – the most valuable were the moments when students discovered something independently. Instead of giving ready-made solutions, I tried to ask questions that led them to answers. Watching this discovery process was incredibly satisfying.
Thanks and Reflections
I would like to sincerely thank all six students of this first edition for their commitment, patience, and passion. You taught me as much as I taught you – you taught me how to be a better mentor and how valuable the diversity of perspectives is.
I also thank the Lodz University of Technology for creating Projekt Innowacje and for the trust. This program fills an important gap between academic theory and commercial practice.
The winter semester of 2022 was the beginning of a beautiful adventure with mentoring for me. Passing on knowledge and observing the development of other programmers turned out to be one of the most satisfying aspects of my career. This experience confirmed my belief that education and knowledge sharing are key to the development of both mentors and mentees.
Projekt Innowacje has come to an end, but I deeply believe that the transferred knowledge and shared experiences will pay off in the participants’ future careers. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this revolutionary initiative and I invite you already now to follow my next adventures with Projekt Innowacje. This cybernetic journey was only the beginning of a fascinating exploration of the programming world!
