MentorMe

Link

GitHub

Role

Web Development

Year

2024

Ever felt like finding the right mentor was impossible? As a student, I did. That frustration sparked an idea: MentorMe, a platform designed to connect mentors and mentees in a meaningful way. This project wasn't just about building an app; it was about solving a real problem with my team. Here's how we tackled it.

Try MentorMe: GitHub Repo

Navigating the transition from university to the professional world is tough—my team and I felt it firsthand. Traditional mentorship programs were inaccessible, and cold messaging professionals often led nowhere. We needed a better way to connect students and early-career professionals with experienced mentors. That’s why we built MentorMe, a web-based platform designed to make mentorship more accessible, structured, and rewarding.

Building the Platform: From Idea to Execution

MentorMe started as a university project, but we treated it like a real-world product. As the front-end developer, I took charge of crafting a clean, user-friendly interface using React, Material UI, and Vite. We wanted a seamless experience that encouraged engagement and meaningful connections.

The backend, powered by Firebase, handled authentication, data storage, and real-time interactions. I worked on integrating Firebase Authentication for secure logins and Firestore (NoSQL) to manage user profiles, discussions, and mentor-mentee connections. We structured our database to be scalable, ensuring smooth interactions even as the user base grows.

Designing for Connection and Growth

Mentorship isn’t just about connecting people; it’s about fostering meaningful relationships. With that in mind, we built features that support long-term engagement:

User Profiles – A place for users to showcase their background, skills, and career interests.
Mentor Matching – A recommendation system to connect mentees with mentors based on shared interests.
Reputation System – A way to recognize contributions, where mentors gain reputation through verified mentorship hours, and mentees earn credibility by engaging in discussions.
Progress Tracking – Users set career goals and track progress over time.
Discussion Groups – Interactive spaces for career conversations, advice-sharing, and networking.
Reward System – Badges and certificates to encourage active participation.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Building MentorMe wasn’t without its hurdles. One major challenge was balancing scope and execution—we initially planned an extensive feature set but had to prioritize core functionalities to deliver a working MVP. This experience reinforced the importance of iterative development and focusing on user needs first.

Another challenge was integrating Firebase efficiently. While it provided a great backend solution, optimizing Firestore queries for performance and structuring data in a scalable way took time. I gained valuable experience in handling NoSQL databases and improving app responsiveness.

Reflections & What’s Next

MentorMe was more than just a school project—it was a hands-on experience in solving real problems with technology. It sharpened my front-end development skills, strengthened my ability to work with Firebase, and reinforced the importance of designing for user experience. Most importantly, it showed me the impact well-built web applications can have on people’s careers.