Are there any good hacker mentors out there?
edw519: "...surprised at the unfriendly responses I have received..."It's hard to comment on responses I haven't seen, but let me take a guess.Perhaps the responses aren't so much "unfriendly" as "tough programmer love".  They already know something you may have not learned yet.  That all the mentoring in the world will make little difference.  What really makes a difference is rolling up your sleeves, jumping into your work, and figuring it out.  That's probably how they got to be where they are, and I'm guessing that's what they want you to do.I'd be less concerned about finding a mentor than finding a place to go with questions, if you ever need it.  For now, be your own mentor; find your own programming voice first, then the questions you ask may get "friendlier" responses.