Online Mentoring in Washington State

Yes, families and young adults anywhere in Washington State can work with a dedicated Blackburn mentor by video. Washington is on Pacific time, the same as our team in Los Angeles, so there is no time difference to work around. Sessions are scheduled in your local time, and high school students always have a parent involved.

Same clock, different landscape

Sharing a time zone makes scheduling simple: a 4 pm session in Spokane or Tacoma is 4 pm for the mentor too. The landscape is another story. The Cascade Range splits the state in two. West of the mountains is the wet, green Puget Sound region, home to most Washingtonians. East of the mountains is drier, sunnier and more rural, with wheat fields, orchards and vineyards.

Crossing the passes in winter can mean chains and closures, and the drive from Seattle to Spokane takes most of a morning. Video mentoring makes all of that irrelevant.

Where Washingtonians live

Seattle and its neighborhoods, the state’s economic center.
The Eastside, including Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland and Issaquah, home to a large share of the tech workforce.
Tacoma and the South Sound, with Olympia, the capital, and a major joint military base.
Everett and the North Sound, tied to aerospace manufacturing.
Spokane, the hub of the Inland Northwest, plus the Tri-Cities, Yakima and Wenatchee.

An economy of software, airplanes and apples

Washington is home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, and the Seattle area employs a huge number of software engineers. Aerospace manufacturing has been central to the Puget Sound economy for generations. The ports of Seattle and Tacoma move cargo across the Pacific. In the east, Washington leads the nation in apples and grows wheat, cherries, hops and wine grapes. Washington also has no state income tax.

Tech families often live with long hours, reorganizations and high expectations, and teenagers absorb that. Young adults entering the Seattle job market face a high cost of living and stiff competition.

Schools and the path to college

Most students attend public schools, and the Seattle and Eastside areas also have well-known independent schools. Washington has a popular program, Running Start, that lets eligible high school juniors and seniors take courses at community and technical colleges. After high school, students choose among the state’s public research universities, regional universities, a large community and technical college system and private colleges. Many stay; many others leave for California, Oregon or the East Coast.

Running Start students in particular juggle two schedules and two sets of expectations, which is exactly the kind of load a weekly mentor helps organize.

Where a mentor helps

High school students, including those balancing college courses, get a weekly plan and accountability. See mentoring for high school students.
College students get support with independence, routines and staying on track. See mentoring for college students.
Young adults get help with a first job, a budget that works in an expensive market and a plan for the next few years. See young adult mentoring.

Because there is no time difference, Washington families often schedule sessions right after school or work. More on online mentoring, family involvement and mentoring in every state.

Pages for areas in Washington

Common questions

Is there any time difference between Washington and your team?

No. Washington and Los Angeles are both on Pacific time, so the session time is the same on both ends.

My teen is in Running Start. Can a mentor help with the workload?

Yes. A mentor helps plan the week across high school and college classes, keep deadlines straight and protect time for sleep and activities.

Can a young adult in Seattle work with you around a full-time job?

Yes. Early morning, evening and weekend sessions are common for working clients, with text check-ins between.

Get started

Want to talk through what your student or young adult in Washington needs? 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.

Online Mentoring and Coaching in Washington State