Schaumburg, IL, USA— Professional mentoring relationships can be a great tool for skill development and new career opportunities, but they can also offer a deeper sense of community and provide cross-generational connections between individuals who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to learn from each other. Ahead of International Mentoring Day (17 January), ISACA has launched its new mentorship program worldwide. The program facilitates one-to-one connections for ISACA members at all stages of their careers for transformative professional development and support.
Since it first launched, ISACA’s mentorship program has created 375 mentorship pairings, with participants from 115 countries.
“I struggled a lot when I was starting out in my career, and I believe if I had a mentor then, I might have avoided some of my career mistakes that made me learn the hard way,” says Veronica Rose, ISACA board director and a participant of the mentorship program. “Now I mentor people intentionally as a way of giving back to the profession. I provide support by offering suggestions and guidance on any aspect of life that my mentee asks about. But mentorship is a two-way street; I’ve learned a lot from my mentees as well and have become more self-aware through our discussions.”
ISACA mentors and mentees complete a comprehensive online profile to let others know about themselves and their experience levels. The system then suggests pairings with participants who have complementary qualities, and mentees initiate matches after carefully selecting a mentor who they feel will be a good fit based on their goals.
“My mentor is amazing and very resourceful,” says Wendy Woehler, a participant of the mentorship program. “He gave me the courage to attempt the CGEIT exam after I passed the GRC exam. I passed the CGEIT exam and ISACA has accepted my request for certification. Without his encouragement and guidance I would probably still be waiting for the “right” time to take the exam.”
Mentors and mentees are both eligible to earn up to 10 continuing professional education (CPE) hours annually through their involvement with the program.
“Working with mentors is what successful professionals do because great careers aren’t built in a vacuum,” says Caitlin McGaw, Career Strategist and Job Search Coach, Caitlin McGaw Coaching. “There is just too much to know; too many decisions to make along the way. We keep ourselves from wasting time, making poor career choices, and learning the hard way by engaging with mentors through a program like ISACA’s.”
ISACA’s mentorship program is a member-exclusive benefit. Other ISACA membership benefits include the bi-monthly ISACA Journal, members-only online events, discounts on ISACA conferences and certification exams, and access to free frameworks, resources, and guides.
To learn more about ISACA’s mentorship program or to sign up to become a mentor or mentee, visit https://mentorship.isaca.org/, and hear testimonials from program participants here. More information about ISACA membership and its benefits can be found here.
ISACA® (www.isaca.org) is a global community advancing individuals and organizations in their pursuit of digital trust. For more than 50 years, ISACA has equipped individuals and enterprises with the knowledge, credentials, education, training and community to progress their careers, transform their organizations, and build a more trusted and ethical digital world. ISACA is a global professional association and learning organization that leverages the expertise of its more than 165,000 members who work in digital trust fields such as information security, governance, assurance, risk, privacy and quality. It has a presence in 188 countries, including 225 chapters worldwide. Through its foundation One In Tech, ISACA supports IT education and career pathways for underresourced and underrepresented populations.
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