How can I effectively mentor a mid-level developer who’s showing a lack of commitment?

I can’t wrap my head around why someone wouldn’t want to put in the effort at work, especially in today's job market where jobs are so valuable. It just seems like he’s missing the bigger picture.

Have you taken the time to understand his personal goals? Mentoring and managing can have different objectives. If you're assigned as his mentor, figure out what he wants to achieve in his role and align that with the company's expectations. This might help you guide him better.

Your job is to mentor him, so focus on that and try to let go of the frustration with his attitude. Maybe approach it from the angle of understanding his perspective and providing constructive feedback instead of getting irritated.

A valuable lesson for him might be that to truly be a programmer, he needs to be able to write his own code and effectively debug problems. Encourage him to take ownership of his tasks and work on finding solutions on his own.

If the company assigned him to you, perhaps it makes sense to limit your interaction. You don’t want to pick up any bad habits from him. But if you chose to mentor him, try to focus on your own learning and approach the situation as a challenge. Remember, mentoring isn't just about the number of years you've been in the field; it's about connecting and guiding.