I've been tasked with mentoring a mid-level developer who's been with us for about two and a half months now. I'm finding it frustrating because he doesn't seem very engaged or motivated. His work pace is slow and the quality isn't up to par; I've noticed he's relying heavily on AI-generated content, which is evident from his comments. When bugs arise, he often only seeks out a single reason for them rather than digging deeper for a proper solution. His debugging skills are lacking, and he frequently responds with "I don't know this!" or claims things just "aren't working at all." I'm looking for advice on how to manage this situation and effectively mentor him without losing my patience.
5 Answers
Have you discussed his personal goals? Mentoring is more effective when you understand what he wants to achieve. Try to find common ground between his aspirations and the company's objectives to guide him better.
If your role is to mentor him, focus on that and try to set the attitude aside. Remember, your goal is to help him grow, even if he's currently not giving you the vibe you're hoping for.
Let him know that to truly be a programmer, he needs to be able to write his own code and solve problems independently, including debugging. He won't grow without pushing himself.
I really don’t get why someone wouldn’t want to put effort into their job, especially when jobs are so valuable these days. It’s surprising to see that kind of attitude.
Was this mentoring assignment pushed on you by the company? If so, limit your engagement if you feel it’s not worth your time. But if you’re committed to the mentorship, you might need to take a step back and focus on your own learning for now.

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