From: Jon Forums Date: 2012-12-08T07:20:13+09:00 Subject: Re: Mentoring Request > I am trying to get better at Ruby by using it on my hobby projects after > work. I want to accelerate my learning and get better at programming. > > Let me know if any of you are open to mentoring. I would need 20 minutes > per month of your time. When you're new, it's difficult to access the quality of any would-be mentor. A better strategy may be to start reading the source of widely used libraries, and experiment, experiment, experiment. When things don't make sense, come back to this list with a small code sample and ask for help. If a library is widely used, more often than not, it's been refined, refactored, optimized and documented. Start small so you don't feel overwhelmed, but don't shy away from looking under the hood of the larger libraries. A few for consideration... minitest rake rubygems nokogiri rack rails Once you get a bit more experience, if you still think a mentor makes sense, you're in a much better position to judge. Also, don't forget the value of collaborating on an existing project. Fixing an open bug and helping document are great ways to learn, add value, and begin collaborating with more experienced devs. Most importantly, make it personal. Find an area you're passionate about and dive in. The rest will follow. Jon -- Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.