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.