In our last Digital Dividends mentorship article, mentors shared what it means to guide, support, and invest in the growth of others. This article continues the conversation from the other side of the relationship: the mentee perspective.
As part of the program evaluation, mentees were asked to share their perspectives on the value of mentorship. They reflected on why they joined the program and what the experience has meant to them, and, in their responses, a consistent theme emerged: mentorship is not about quick answers, but about creating the conditions for thoughtful decision‑making, self‑awareness, and purposeful growth.
Why mentees opt for mentorship
For many mentees, the decision to apply coincides with a career transition or reflection.
Chloe Kim CPA recognized that maternity leave provided the opportunity to pause and consider her long‑term career direction: “Reaching my 10th year of practice coincided with a significant personal milestone: becoming a new mother. While on maternity leave, I felt it was the ideal time to pause and intentionally reflect on my career trajectory, seeking guidance on how to navigate this new chapter of my professional life.”
Other mentees joined the program while navigating different crossroads. Wadzanayi Mukura CPA entered mentorship during her transition into a new role, seeking greater clarity and confidence in her decision‑making. “My mentor helped me negotiate the contract to make sure that it was fair, which helped me feel a little bit more comfortable throughout the entire process,” she says.
Across these varied experiences, mentorship was approached proactively—as an opportunity to think strategically about what the next phase of their careers could look like.
What mentorship offers mentees
From the mentee’s perspective, mentorship provides structure and perspective at moments that can otherwise feel overwhelming. “To me, mentorship served as a strategic compass,” Chloe explains. “It provided the clarity and framework I needed to design a sustainable and ambitious roadmap for the next decade of my career as a working professional and a mother.”
Similarly, Khisal Khan CPA shared that mentorship helped him figure out what he wanted from a career and, perhaps more importantly, how to get it. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” he reflects, “but [my mentor and I] were able to develop a plan, and I was able to see the goals of what I want to achieve. I was able to build some confidence in what I wanted to do.”
Rather than focusing solely on immediate challenges, mentorship created space for longer‑term thinking aligning professional ambitions with personal responsibilities, values, and evolving priorities.
What made the Mentorship Experience work
Several ingredients—including consistency, trust and transparency—were identified as contributors to a successful mentorship relationship. As the mentorship relationship developed, mentees felt increasingly comfortable sharing challenges and uncertainties. Additionally, thoughtful questioning helped surface priorities, challenge assumptions, and move discussions from ideas to action. For mentees, showing up regularly and engaging honestly creates momentum and confidence.
Progress came through dialogue, reflection, and consistent engagement over time.
“The experience was a journey of self‑discovery guided by my mentor’s insightful questioning,” Chloe adds. Wadzanyai agrees, adding, “[My mentor] showed up, he was present, he listened, and he just gives really good down-to-earth advice.”
The value of mentorship for mentees—and the profession
When asked to describe the experience in three words, for all mentees, these three words resonated: empowerment, clarity, and confidence.
These themes reflect what many mentees take away from the program: not just direction, but renewed confidence in their judgment and a clearer sense of purpose.
Mentorship offers mentees the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and grow with intention. It reinforces that career development is rarely linear and that seeking guidance is a strategic choice and not a weakness.
The CPA Alberta Mentorship Program is now accepting applications for the 2026–27 cohort. For CPAs considering the future of their careers, mentorship may provide the structure and perspective needed to move forward with confidence.
