For people in a similar situation who hit a wall - how did you get out of it? Is looking for a mentor even the right approach, or did you just grind it out?
In those days, about 12-14 years ago, Crockford was easily approachable online when you needed extra guidance or clarity beyond what JSLint provided. Then he could yell at you directly in public.
This shaped how I interpreted programming when I first started learning programming. I became focus on defensive coding styles that would perform well with extreme durability in the days when cross browser coding was far more fragile.
It’s a terrific question.
We tend to mythologize the sensei, or wisened uncle persona. That special Someone, who we hope will patiently, lovingly coach us up.
It seems the best mentor relationships are organic things. Somehow your paths cross, striking up a relationship. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Relative to getting advice-
There is still tremendous value hidden in books. More immediate are podcasts, blogposts, and occasionally Reddit.
So, where do you feel you are struggling? When you think “next level” what images come to mind?
PM if you prefer.
My next level is to be able to write Android unit tests for networks by Monday; it's not something Stack Overflow solves.
It should be beyond your best abilities now. How do you do something beyond your best ability? By finding someone else who has done it before. If you want to build a billion dollar SaaS in 5 years, look for someone who has done it or attempted it. If there are books on the topic, read all the books. It's bad manners if you haven't done your homework.
Most of the time, you should expect to be one level below your mentor. If you want to make a billion dollar company, you should already be able to make a hundred-million dollar company. Someone a level below the mentor is already quite rare, and many mentors appreciate having someone around to bounce thoughts off without having to dumb down their words to explain a concept.
Thus concludes today's mentoring session on how to find a mentor.
There cannot be one guy who has solutions to all your problems but the Internet and the people on the Internet are have. So yeah find make friends or find people who are willing to help you. I'd rather ask a friend than a Mentor.
Hope You make Progress in your SaaS business.
I joined the first one a few months ago and I'm doing a Mastermind w/ 4 other SaaS founders. So far it's a positive experience, it helps with accountability.