Udacity Mentors thrive on building a network of learners who want to upskill themselves. Vedran Leder, a current Udacity Mentor, knows this first hand.
After getting an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Leder struggled to find a full-time job in his field, build a network, and ultimately a career.
He spent 5 years toiling in the professional world until he decided to change his career to Digital Marketing, with the help of Udacity.
“Udacity was one of the first platforms I used, and the Digital Marketing Nanodegree Program gave me a unique experience since I could run real-life campaigns and get tips and feedback from experienced mentors in the field,” said Leder.
“[The Nanodegree program] prepared me for landing my first job as a Paid Advertiser. It was a dream come true. From there, I specialized further and I’m still working (and loving it) in the performance advertising field specializing in the B2B sector,” he added.
Udacity Mentor Decides to Pay it Forward
Since Leder was able to successfully launch his career in Digital Marketing, he wanted to expand his skills set and took additional Nanodegree programs.
Upon completing those programs, Leder decided to pay what he learned forward. He applied to become a Udacity Mentor to broaden his experiences, share his knowledge, and meet colleagues and digital marketing enthusiasts from all over the world.
“Finishing Marketing Analytics Nanodegree and Business Analytics Nanodegree helped me further in sharpening my analytical thinking and knowledge that is needed in the performance advertising field. Also, the Product Manager Nanodegree program helped me broaden my views and get a clearer picture of different business aspects, especially planning a project from the beginning and executing it to the end.”
Vedran has taken his new skills and mentored Udacity learners in Digital Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Product Managment, Growth Product Management, and Google Adwords. Because learners come from all different walks of life, he tries to adapt his teaching to the student’s communication style. He considers empathy a major factor in working with his learners.
For Vedran, the most rewarding aspect of being a Udacity mentor has been receiving gratitude after providing relevant context.
“It is a really awesome feeling when you see you managed to help someone and how relieved the student is when he is able to continue thanks to your help,” says Vedran.
He says that he has an “excellent feeling” about the kind of impact his mentorship has on learners. He acknowledges that the new learners are appreciative of getting the solutions to their problems from someone experienced.
“Giving back that experience and knowing how much that means to someone who is just starting and may feel lost is a priceless feeling.”
A Bit of Advice to New Mentors
Vedran has a great message for all the aspiring mentors:
“Never stop learning and be the best you can in what you do. Teaching others is the ultimate test of knowledge.”
He also believes that good communication skills are equally important as technical skills.
“If you fail to connect with a student, even your vast knowledge may “fall on deaf ears.”
If helping others is your passion, fulfill your purpose and become a Udacity Mentor today.
