Yes. Families and young adults anywhere in California can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video, scheduled in Pacific time. California is also home: Blackburn was founded in Los Angeles, and clients there can meet in person. From San Diego to the Bay Area to the far north, everyone else meets online, with text and phone contact between sessions.
Why video works even in our home state
California is roughly 800 miles from top to bottom, and even within one metro, traffic can turn a short distance into an hour. A 60 minute session that costs two hours of driving rarely makes sense for a student with homework or a professional at the end of a workday. Most Californians who work with us, including many in greater Los Angeles, choose video for that reason alone. Our page on online mentoring explains how it works.
The regions
- Greater Los Angeles: the city, the Westside, the Valleys, the South Bay and beyond, with entertainment, aerospace, trade, health care and a huge creative economy.
- Orange County and San Diego: coastal suburbs, biotech, defense and the military, tourism and a strong youth sports culture.
- The Inland Empire and the desert: fast-growing Riverside and San Bernardino counties, logistics and warehousing, and the Coachella Valley around Palm Springs.
- The Central Coast: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey, with wine, agriculture and tourism.
- The Central Valley: Sacramento, the state capital, plus Fresno, Bakersfield and Stockton, the heart of one of the most productive farming regions in the world.
- The Bay Area and Silicon Valley: technology, venture capital, research and some of the highest housing costs in the country.
- The North State: redwood coast, Sierra foothills and small towns where the nearest anything can be far away.
An economy that touches everything
California’s economy is larger than that of most countries. Technology, entertainment and media, agriculture, international trade through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, aerospace, tourism, health care and clean energy all have deep roots here. Young people grow up surrounded by ambitious examples, and also by real pressure: high costs, competitive schools and a sense that everyone else is moving faster.
A very large education system
California’s public schools serve millions of students, alongside a wide range of independent, religious and charter schools. After high school, the state’s public higher education has three parts: a research university system, a larger state university system with campuses in nearly every region, and the largest community college system in the country. Transferring from a community college to a four-year university is a well-worn, respected path, and it rewards students who plan early (see mentoring for community college students).
Many California students stay in state, and the state also draws students from everywhere. Others leave for college elsewhere and later return, often to live at home while they start a career because of housing costs. That moment is common enough that we wrote about moving back home after college.
Where a mentor fits
For high school students, a mentor brings weekly structure and a voice outside the family, with a parent or guardian involved throughout. For college students, it is routines, deadlines and decisions. For young adults and professionals, it is a plan for career, money and a life that fits California’s costs. Parents can start with our page for families.
Pages for areas in California
Los Angeles, where in-person sessions are available
- Mentoring and coaching in Los Angeles
- Santa Monica
- Pasadena
- Sherman Oaks and Encino
- Long Beach
- The Inland Empire
- Ventura and Oxnard
- Palm Springs
The rest of the state, by video
- Orange County
- San Diego
- Santa Barbara and Montecito
- Monterey and Carmel
- Fresno
- Sacramento
- The San Francisco Bay Area
- Silicon Valley and Palo Alto
- The East Bay
- Marin County
Families outside California can find their state on our mentoring by state page.
Related
Common questions
What time zone are California sessions in?
Pacific time, the same clock our team works on, so after-school and evening sessions are easy to arrange anywhere in the state.
Can we meet a mentor in person?
In person sessions are available in Los Angeles. Clients elsewhere in California meet by video, and some LA families mix the two.
Can a mentor help my student plan a community college transfer?
Mentors help with planning, deadlines and follow-through around a transfer. They are not academic advisors or admissions counselors, and they can work alongside the college’s advisors.
Is online mentoring as effective as meeting in person?
For most clients it works well, because sessions are easier to keep and can happen more often. The intro call is a good place to decide which format suits you.
Get started
Want to talk with our Los Angeles team? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.