Work in progress - professional mentoring for cs students

This paper introduces a novel scheme to provide final year undergraduates with one-to-one mentoring by professional programmers, engineers and managers. The principal mode of communication between student and mentor is email, MSN or SKYPE. Discussions focus on the student's personal project. Volunteer mentors have been recruited using the alumni email list and from the members of a Microsoft SIG. Students can benefit extensively from a professional perspective and fresh encouragement. The driving aim is to raise their targets, give them a realistic view of the level of performance expected by commerce, and thus enhance their career prospects.