Mentoring in an Online Environment

Mentorship And Social Mobility

Social class in the United States is not as structured as in other societies, and many people do not understand the concept well. It can be divided into five categories that include upper, upper-middle, middle, working, and lower. In the United States, there are two main factors that determine how Americans view their own social class. These include education level and income. Another factor to be taken into consideration is occupation. Citizens who make less than $20,000 per year are most likely to consider themselves lower or working class, while those who make more than $250,000 are more likely to classify themselves as upper-middle or upper class. Perceived social class is significantly affected by education level. Those who do not possess a high school diploma are likely to see themselves as lower or working class. While individuals who have undergraduate or graduate degrees are more likely to see themselves as middle class or upper-middle class, with the perception of upper-middle class becoming more predominant with a graduate degree (Bird & Newport, 2021. These observations are where mentorship comes into play. College often brings more mentorship opportunities that students would not otherwise have. “The best schools lift up those who never thought they could rise” (Gates, 2019, p. 122).

In college, students get opportunities to work with professors who are either full time or in adjunct positions where they may hold high-level jobs elsewhere or be retired from a job such as a chief executive officer post. Either way, they have the ability to give students knowledge to succeed in certain roles or connect them with individuals in jobs they might want to be in one day. College opens up doors for students to succeed in infinite ways if they apply themselves and search for the opportunities.