Paul Nus is currently the Chief Technology Officer of Folience, a holding company located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nus graduated with an associate degree in computer science from Kirkwood Community College and started his career in technology in 2005. Before joining Folience in 2009, Nus worked in various positions, including application development, database query, and server administration. "Most of the stuff I've learned has been from just great people I've worked with," Nus said. "Friendships and people like me that were interested in learning and growing." He explained these people acted as informal mentors to him.
Nus is a Future Ready Iowa mentor and has helped multiple mentees within the program. When he is matched with a new mentee, Nus says the most important thing "is just getting to know them as a person more than anything technical or getting into the weeds of anything."
He says he starts with understanding "what their family situation is like, their background, what makes them tick." This allows him to learn who they are and where they are trying to go. Nus helps with resumes, connects them with other professionals, and anything else his mentees may need. Nus says being a mentor is "just being a support system."
Having a mentor can be very critical to the success of a young professional. "I think all of us often underappreciate what we can bring to someone else, even just by listening and being there," Nus says. He believes mentoring "just brings some joy in knowing that you can make a difference in someone's life."
Nus concludes, "I do think about legacy from time to time; what is it that you want to leave behind, and how do you want to make the world a better place? Maybe that's a little hokey, but mentoring really does make a difference, even if it's just one person that you are making an impact for."