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Community & Mentorship

Last updated on: 24 October 2024

Mentorship

Role of Mentorship for Infuse

Although not required for completing a learning path and achieving a badge, Infuse Learners are strongly encouraged to work with a Mentor or peer digital protector who holds some expertise in the chosen learning path area of specialized technical expertise (STE). That way, Learners receive guidance and support throughout the learning process and can better validate their newly acquired knowledge and skills. The roles of Mentor and Learner can be fluid though, with some people being Learners in one learning path and Mentors in another or some becoming a Mentor in a learning path after having been a Learner in that learning path.

Mentor assessment of Learner progress

In order to validate skills and achieve a badge, Infuse highly recommends that Learners have a Mentor or peer review the Learner’s work on the skill check exercises included at the end of most modules. To help Mentors to do this assessment, Infuse has developed scorecards, one per learning path, which can be used to (1) track a Learner’s progress going through the modules, and (2) record assessments of the skill checks and calculate a score to see if the Learner qualifies for a badge (a score of at least 2.5 out of 4 qualifies for a badge).

Download the scorecard templates here (each tab is for a different learning path). The link will take you to GitHub and you will need to initiate the download from there by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner and then selecting “Download.” Further guidance for using the scorecards can be found on the first spreadsheet tab of the file. You do not need to log in to GitHub to download the file.

Optionally, the scorecards can also be used for pre and post learning discussions as a way to assess baseline and endline knowledge of the module subject areas.

Finding a Mentor

A Mentor can be anyone who holds a sufficient level of knowledge and skill in a given area of STE to provide a Learner with guidance, answer their questions, and assess their skill checks and knowledge. Learners can identify Mentors from their existing networks or look to connect with someone from the wider community of Infuse Mentors. Contact information for some available Mentors can be found here (this will be updated on a regular basis).

There are other eligible Mentors who are not listed publicly. Infuse coalition organizations can recommend potential Mentors for interested Learners to contact. Reach out to [email protected] and share the learning path you are interested in, which language(s) you prefer to receive mentorship in, and any other relevant information, and we will do our best to connect you with potential Mentors.

Mentor Criteria

You do not need to understand absolutely everything about the topics covered in a particular learning path to mentor a Learner. Regardless of level of expertise, everybody needs to look at documentation sometimes and we do not expect anybody to have all the answers. We hope that Infuse can be a learning opportunity for Mentors as well. A Mentor does, however, need to know enough about a topic to be able to guide Learners as they explore a learning path. This means being able to point Learners towards resources where they can find answers to their questions, supporting them through skill check exercises and assessing their work, and having a good grasp of the learning path materials.

Some signs you might be ready to start your mentorship journey:

  • You have completed, or feel confident you can complete, the practice and skills verification exercises for a learning path, and will be able to assist learners as they complete them.
  • If the learning path relies heavily on reference materials or tools such as OWASP or VirusTotal, you can confidently explain to the learner how they work, how to use them, and what their possible limitations might be.
  • You can assist learners as they set up hardware and software environments, such as virtual machines, containers, or other toolsets, that they might require completing the learning paths.
  • You are ready to explain the learning path concepts to people who might struggle to understand.
  • You can gauge the difficulty level of the learning path and understand which modules or sections learners might struggle with or require additional time for.
  • You appreciate the psychosocial aspects of being a digital protector in your chosen learning path. This might mean understanding how to talk empathetically and reassure people who have been targeted by phishing, or have malware on their systems, or how to discuss web security with NGO managers and sysadmins.
  • You have the interest to support a Learner and can dedicate an appropriate amount of time to the task. The amount of time required will depend on the Learner, learning path, and the terms agreed upon between a Mentor and Learner.

You might struggle a bit with providing mentorship if you do not yet feel confident in all the points listed above.

Paying for Mentorship

Payment for mentorship is to be decided upon by the Learner and Mentor. Paying for mentorship may not always be necessary, as many Mentors may be willing to mentor free of charge and/or may have access to other sources of funding for their mentorship time.

Tips for Mentors (by Mentors!)

  • Remember to employ a positive attitude, empathy, and cultural sensitivity when working with Learners. It is important to balance patience (including understanding when delays happen and life circumstances arise) with motivation (encouraging Learners to keep on track to the extent they’re able, even when the subject matter may be challenging).
  • Be considerate of time zones, language barriers (sometimes present even if speaking the same language), and boundaries (including a Learner’s other responsibilities and schedule). Learners are encouraged to do the same when working with you. Mentors and Learners should also work to advocate for themselves and express their needs to one another.
  • Be patient and flexible with Learners. People learn at different paces, and in very different ways. Try to be creative about how you engage them with different topics. Be flexible with learners and try to adapt to their method(s) of learning.
  • Review the learning path prior to working with a Learner to ensure that you feel generally comfortable mentoring on the subject matter
  • Budget your time wisely and feel free to be honest with your Learner(s) about the time you can commit. If a Learner is asking for more of your time than you can give, have an open conversation with them.
  • Assess Learner progress as they go. For instance, we highly recommend you review and assess skill checks as they are completed rather than looking through all at the end of the learning path. The latter would be a lot of work and the Learner might struggle to remember why they made certain decisions.
  • Mentors shouldn’t be expected to know everything in a given learning path. Be honest with Learners about what you maybe don’t know as much about and reach out for help from other digital protectors or do research on topics you need to work on.
  • Have Learners annotate a shared document to allow for asynchronous collaboration. This can be a space for adding questions, answers, and responses to practice and skill check exercises.

Tips for Learners (by Learners!)

  • Schedule time for yourself to work on the learning path regularly to help you move at a good pace. You may also consider having someone to hold you accountable (such as your Mentor, other Learner, or a friend).

  • It is not sufficient to only review the learning path itself. In order to grasp the content and gain practical knowledge and skills, you need to also engage with the external resources linked from the learning path and complete practice exercises.

    • There are a lot of linked resources within the learning paths, so we encourage you to prioritize those which are most important and relevant. You do not need to review every single linked resource.

  • After a study session, be sure to note where you left off so you can remember when you come back.

  • Actively engage with the learning materials by taking notes, asking questions, and seeking clarification on any concepts you find challenging.

  • Don’t jump ahead in the learning paths to more advanced topics until you have spent time to understand the basics. Do not rush learning the fundamentals, as this will make the rest of the learning process easier.

  • Research additional materials and news on the learning path topics which are specifically relevant to your country’s or community’s context.

  • As possible, connect, collaborate, and learn with other Learners. Infuse is an opportunity to expand your networks and possibilities for cross border collaborations.

  • Ask questions whether that’s to a Mentor, peer Learner, or others in the digital protector community.

  • Share knowledge and practice with other Learners, as well as members of their own organizations/communities, from the very beginning.

  • Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, be curious, and have fun with it!

Business Development and Revenue Generation for Digital Protectors

Some advice for those starting out in digital security training & consultancy

Compensation

  • Figure out typical rates for digital security consultants and trainers. Rates which consultants typically charge will depend on the location, context, your experience, and the level of technical specialization involved in the work. The best way to figure out those rates is by talking to others in the space (including those who hire consultants) or doing some basic online research. Don’t forget that clients rarely expect a “day rate” to constitute exactly eight hours of work. It’s a rough measure. Given the fact that many trainings have overheads (prep time, travel time, accountancy, finding new clients), shorter engagements typically have a higher rate than multi-day or multi-week ones.
  • Some clients will propose a budget (others won’t). It’s always worth asking a client what their budget is and adjusting your offer accordingly. Not all clients will be able to state a budget: some will want to negotiate the cheapest possible price, some will want your offer first, but others will already have allocated a certain amount for the engagement. Ask your clients whether their budgets are flexible–this could give you additional negotiating leverage if your rates exceeded what clients initially budgeted.
  • Don’t undersell yourself. You might be tempted to lower your rates to attract new clients. That’s often a mistake; many clients will see the cheapest consultants as less capable or experienced. If you really need to charge below your standard rates to score a contract, frame your lower rates as a discount and be very explicit about it—explain for example that your standard rate is twice as high but you’re willing to give nonprofits a 50% discount.
  • If possible, charge by project, day, or deliverable and not by hour. Charging per hour can get very complicated, especially since you might have many small, short interactions with clients, such as an email that needs to be sent. Charging per project, day, or deliverable is often easier for consultant and client alike. Do note however that some clients will only allow you to charge by the hour.
  • Factor in prep time, admin time, and communication time. Many clients might take a long time to send you necessary documents, spend time on meetings with you, or expect you to do extensive prep work, for example reading documentation and tailoring your engagement to their exact needs. Projects tend to stretch out longer than expected—don’t forget that when you are planning out the project and rates.

Consultation Engagements

  • Make great plans… Prior to your engagement, research the client/target audience and their threat. Adapt your approach to your audience and prepare for likely questions they might ask or issues they might have. If at all possible, hold a pre-assessment or a needs assessment meeting (or emails!) with your clients to better understand what exactly they are looking for and how you could help them.
  • … and be ready to abandon them. You will not always be able to predict how the engagement will go or what clients want to focus on. For instance, if you realize during a training that participants already know what you’re going to say or if they have very different threat models, be ready to improvise a session which better fits their needs. Improvised and ad-hoc sessions don’t need to be perfect, and clients and participants often deeply appreciate it if you try to quickly adapt your content to address their questions and priorities.
  • Hone your facilitation and training skills. Knowing digital security and giving fact-based advice that addresses people’s threat models is very important. Delivering this in a way that people understand and remember is also crucial. For some fantastic advice on building up your training skills, check out the Security Education Companion’s guides for first-time trainers.
  • Ask for feedback after. Great consultants will always ask how they can improve. If you have a chance, talk to the client or other recipients of your services. Ask them what went well and what you could improve next time. Don’t forget that you cannot always integrate all feedback and some might be contradictory—it’s very common for one person to say that the work was too complex while another frames it as too basic.

Finding new clients and working with existing ones

  • Ask others to recommend you! For many digital protectors, the easiest way to find a client is to simply get somebody to recommend you. Tell others in the nonprofit space that you are a consultant and looking for new work. Similarly, if you finish an engagement with a client, you can always tell some people working there that you’re on the lookout for new projects. People often love recommending others and bringing in consultants they’ve been recommended!
  • Find new ways of marketing yourself. Learn from how others in the space market themselves—perhaps they use websites that highlight their experience, a CV that they share, business cards, or social media. Different communities use different marketing practices; adapt yours to the community in which you’re trying to gain new clients. If you have received (hopefully positive) reviews from clients, ask them if you can share client information, review snippets, or quotes from clients in your marketing materials.
  • Aim for repeat engagements with the same client. Finding new clients can take significant work and time. It’s often much easier to simply do repeat engagements with a single client, if possible. When you complete your training and have had a good time working with the client, tell them that you would also be open to future engagements. It’s also worth having a contact person or two at the client with whom you regularly follow up, check in with about how their work is going, and let know that you would be available for and interested in new projects.
  • Nobody expects your engagement to be perfect. Many digital protectors will often be a bit disappointed after an engagement, feeling that something could have gone better. While this is a very natural feeling, don’t forget that people are generally more critical of their own work. Many clients will be immensely grateful for the support you have provided. Even if the client is a nonprofit or an organization whose values you really admire, don’t forget that you’re paid for great work, you’re not paid for perfection.