Your Last Year of FIRST!!!

[monster1018]

This is to all seniors who are obviously in their final year of FIRST robotics. I definitely would like to stay apart of FIRST but im not sure on what just yet. Do i help another team, volunteer for an event, etc? I think I may be leaning towards helping another team, and in that case probably helping 1646 since it will be close to my future college, what do you seniors out there think?

[Gaiice]

I feel the same way, but I can't stay involved with the teams I have been with for the past four years because I'm going to college in another state. I plan on mentoring a team near my college as well and eventually I want to start my own team. I was going to start a team this year, but instead I just joined a rookie team.

[GaryVoshol]

There are several threads about college student involvement in FIRST. The main thing to remember - your education comes first.

[fluffy]

The college I'm going to(Purdue) mentors 3 local teams and hosts the Boilermaker regional. I think FIRST will still consume my life...

[monster1018]

yeah I'm going to Purdue as well that's why i like BMR so much because its right there and i can still be involved

[AdamHeard]

I gave it a quarter to see what school was like before I tried to mentor. Once I saw I would be able to handle going to class, getting my work done and mentoring without slacking in my grades, I decided to help. However, if my workload picks up, mentoring will be the first thing to go.

[bigbeezy]

Well i'm going to Florida State and from what i've heard there arn't any local teams up there. when talking to a friend of mine who already goes there, no one has even heard of FIRST... I guess that means i need to educate them on FIRST and I would love to start a team up there. It prolly won't happen my first year since i will be busy adjusting and concentrating on school work but some day i hope to, and i know that if i need anything i can count on my team to help.

[David Hoff]

The college I'm going to(Purdue) mentors 3 local teams and hosts the Boilermaker regional. I think FIRST will still consume my life...

yeah I'm going to Purdue as well that's why i like BMR so much because its right there and i can still be involved

I am a current member of PurdueFIRST Programs and a current 1646 mentor. Last year, my freshmen year at Purdue, I did not want to mentor an FRC team because I wanted to figure this whole college thing out before I committed to work with a team. Instead I decided to work with the Regional Development sub team within PurdueFIRST and helped out at our FLL competition and FRC competition along with other PurdueFIRST activities.

So if you want to stay apart of FIRST but not necessarily mentor a team then there are several things you can do within PurdueFIRST like Regional Development, Industrial Relations, Public Relations, FLL, VEX, and Information Technology. Also, in case you weren't aware, PurdueFIRST is an actual class at Purdue that you receive 2 credits a semester for which is awesome. However since you do receive a grade for your work you will have responsibilities and or certain task you need to accomplish. If you have any questions about PurdueFIRST feel free to let me or any of our other members know.

[Ryan Dognaux]

I'll just echo some of the things David has said. Purdue FIRST Programs is a very unique way to stay involved with FIRST in college and actually get class credit for doing it. I also helped out with the Boilermaker Regional instead of mentoring my first year. During my sophomore year I helped out 1646 some and this year I am the team director. As my years have gone on, my involvement has increased because I wanted it to. Your level of involvement is just dependent upon what you want to do - it's entirely up to you. Though as David said, if you plan to commit to something, you will be expected to follow through with it.

And we're always looking for more help with the three Purdue FIRST teams. Check out www.purduefirst.org for more information about the organization itself.

[hipsterjr]

I don't wanna grow up:( I hope we make to Atlanta, so I can go out with a bang.

[Vexkingof716]

I hope to continue being involved in first. I'm going to find a team near by my school next year, and try to mentor when i get a chance. During breaks from school i hope to come home and work with my team 716.

[Cappeh]

I'm still a junior, so I can't speak for everyone, but... I know that lots of team members enjoy seeing the people that graduated the year before come back to visit. Even if you're going to college four, five, even six or seven hours away, it means a lot to a team to see people come back and help out when they're home. <3

[Scott Carpman]

I'll try and help out during one of the breaks and head to the CT regional if 1155 continues to attend. As for college team mentoring...I'm not sure if I want to mentor one of the RPI teams or do Formula SAE.

[DarkFlame145]

I am VERY sad that this is my last year. I love FIRST, i love my team. My best friends are on 145 and i live 30 mins away from the team. I really wanted to go to Nationals this year, but it didn't happen. The town my college is in has no team, but once i start looking for a job I must have a FIRST team in the area I wanna mentor and help out a team to repay FIRST for everything the program has done for me. It has helped me learn how to weld which i love doing. I have also made many great friends. I have already been told that I might be hearing for them to help with things over the phone if I can.

[Uberbots]

FIRST is definitely the best part of high school... i have so many good memories and learning experiences from team 1124. however, the sad reality is that the real world is not like FIRST, and at some point you have to really break away to pursue other things in life.

For our high school years, the FIRST competition is definitely a great experience, but the problem is that it is a competition. The robots built on these teams only serve the purpose of competing with other robots (or picking up buckets in some cases), and dont really serve any direct practical purpose in the real world.

Beyond high school, i don't really plan to return to FIRST robotics to serve as a mentor or anything for at least 4 years. This is because i want to teach and inspire younger engineers, not relive my high school years. I realize that this is only a personal case, but its what im going to do.

I am going to miss, though, the ability to demonstrate the robot to the little kids in our town... i always liked the synchronized "whoaaaa!" whenever the robot started moving and doing its thing. THAT was really cool, probably a better experience than actually competing and winning with the robot.


...yeah this post probably sounds cynical and demeaning, but i don't intend for it to sound that way.
...and furthermore whatever i said probably isnt going to happen, knowing me (=.

[smurfgirl]

At the very least, I'm going to come back and visit 1124 next year while they're competing at the Connecticut Regional. I'm not sure where I'll end up at school next year- I still haven't heard back from everywhere yet- but I've already started to look into teams to mentor. My FIRST involvement has been one of my most memorable and valuable life experiences, and I want to continue to share that with others. I've worked really hard to inspire young children (girls especially) in my town to get involved with math, science, and technology, and I don't want to give up on this. I plan to continue my mission while I'm in college, whether I am nearby a FIRST team, or not.

[Hiteak]

I know that this will be far from my last year of FIRST. I dont know if I will mentor or not or if I do who I will mentor, but I do know that I'll be volunteering and be on the Ruckus Committee again along with joining RIT FIRST.

[wsansewjs]

FIRST is definitely the best part of high school... i have so many good memories and learning experiences from team 1124. however, the sad reality is that the real world is not like FIRST, and at some point you have to really break away to pursue other things in life.

For our high school years, the FIRST competition is definitely a great experience, but the problem is that it is a competition. The robots built on these teams only serve the purpose of competing with other robots (or picking up buckets in some cases), and dont really serve any direct practical purpose in the real world.

Beyond high school, i don't really plan to return to FIRST robotics to serve as a mentor or anything for at least 10 years. This is because i want to teach and inspire younger engineers, not relive my high school years. I realize that this is only a personal case, but its what im going to do.


...yeah this post probably sounds cynical and demeaning, but i don't intend for it to sound that way.

I am sorry but I have been alumni and mentor for my own team for the last 4 years now. You are terribly mistaken about FIRST not being part of the real world. FIRST is the REAL WORLD. It is already working with people around the world, connecting people together making the world a safer place as it can be. I completely understand that you didn't mean to be cynical or demeaning. The thing is I am already old and been there from the roots of FIRST, so I can tell you that its different over there. Perhaps, one day you may have a different opinion about it.

Good day ^_^

-Josh S.

Added: Also, you do not have to relieve to your high school years. All you have to do is set a different priority in FIRST by changing different roles or position from your high school's original.

[Tetraman]

50% of my choice to go to RIT was FLR and the Rochester Robotics teams.

[efoote868]

I'm off to purdue next year... so I'll definitely be apart of FIRST. I'm not sure how co-oping will work out with FIRST, maybe I'll get to sample a bunch of teams :yikes: . Maybe I'll find new sponsors for other teams? who knows!? :P

[Jeff Waegelin]

I've said this before, and I'll say it again: think carefully before you jump into college FIRST - and do it for the right reasons. Mentoring a team is a very rewarding experience, if you do it right. Make sure that you're doing it because you want to help out and be a mentor to your students, not because you want to continue your high school FIRST experience. Taking some time off is not necessarily a bad thing - it can help to give you the perspective that a lot of freshman mentors lack. But, if you absolutely can't live without FIRST for a year (I couldn't, I admit), just make sure you always remember that you are there to advise, support, and learn how to be on the "other side" of the mentor-student relationship. I learned so much from my experience, and you can too - if you keep that perspective.

[Martijn]

I've been a part of my high school robotics team for the last 4 years now, but sadly i'll be heading off to college back in the Netherlands next year. Although I am very glad to be heading back home to be my home country and am excited about attending college there, there are currently no FIRST teams back in the Netherlands.
I've been putting a decent bit of thought into what the options could be when i go back. The first is to say goodbye to FIRST for now, and possibly start mentoring if i move back the US at some point in time, or if FIRST ends up spreading its magic over to Europe as well. My second option is to figure out how i can start up a team back in the Netherlands. I know already that my college work will not be too intensive, so i technically have the time to start up a new team. However, I also realize that it will be much more difficult to start up a team over there. I don't know how it will work with shipping, receiving the KoP, or attending a regional event back in the US or Canada. Does anybody know if somebody else has tried starting a team in Europe? Or does anybody have any advice as to how this could be done?

[wsansewjs]

I've been a part of my high school robotics team for the last 4 years now, but sadly i'll be heading off to college back in the Netherlands next year. Although I am very glad to be heading back home to be my home country and am excited about attending college there, there are currently no FIRST teams back in the Netherlands.
I've been putting a decent bit of thought into what the options could be when i go back. The first is to say goodbye to FIRST for now, and possibly start mentoring if i move back the US at some point in time, or if FIRST ends up spreading its magic over to Europe as well. My second option is to figure out how i can start up a team back in the Netherlands. I know already that my college work will not be too intensive, so i technically have the time to start up a new team. However, I also realize that it will be much more difficult to start up a team over there. I don't know how it will work with shipping, receiving the KoP, or attending a regional event back in the US or Canada. Does anybody know if somebody else has tried starting a team in Europe? Or does anybody have any advice as to how this could be done?


Good start would be the England teams and Israeli. I advise you to ask them how they deal with their issues over there.

-Josh

[Martijn]

Good start would be the England teams and Israeli. I advise you to ask them how they deal with their issues over there.

-Josh

Do you know where i could find a list of these teams? I tried the FIRST website, but i can only find events when i search by location, not the teams (outside of the US that is)

[Jeff Waegelin]

Do you know where i could find a list of these teams? I tried the FIRST website, but i can only find events when i search by location, not the teams (outside of the US that is)

This list (https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index.lasso?page=teamlist&area=&sort=location)will show you all of the teams in FIRST, sorted by location. You can find all the international teams on there.

Interestingly enough, there is one team in the Netherlands already - team 2037 from Brunssum. I don't know where that is relative to where you'll be, but they might be a good resource nonetheless.

[FourPenguins]

I don't plan to go back to FIRST in college. As cool as FIRST is, there's a real world out there making real discoveries. FIRST is a great tool to feed people into that real world, but what good is it if it just feeds itself?
After a few years in industry, I hope I can get back in the game and maybe start a new team, but until then, I'm going to focus on making a name for myself in the industry and a difference in the world of engineering.

[James1902]

If all goes according to plan i'll be back as a UCF mentor, but in a much less involved role then this year. It will all depend on how I do the first semester grade wise. But at the very least I will visit the team often and volunteer at the events.

[feliks_rosenber]

and dont really serve any direct practical purpose in the real world.

I do not agree with that at all!
The robots might look "modified RC cars" but the truth is that once used right, they can change lives!

I mean exposing disabled people to those robots. Letting them control the bots with their own hands. I know from my team experience what that means for others.
The glow on people faces is worth it. The robots are not only for lifting buckets.


:)

[feliks_rosenber]

Do you know where i could find a list of these teams? I tried the FIRST website, but i can only find events when i search by location, not the teams (outside of the US that is)

Martijn,
The Israeli teams will be more than glad to help you with that issue.
You can ask us any questions you would like about how it is done here.
I invite you to PM me anytime you like.

[Uberbots]

I am sorry but I have been alumni and mentor for my own team for the last 4 years now. You are terribly mistaken about FIRST not being part of the real world. FIRST is the REAL WORLD. It is already working with people around the world, connecting people together making the world a safer place as it can be. I completely understand that you didn't mean to be cynical or demeaning. The thing is I am already old and been there from the roots of FIRST, so I can tell you that its different over there. Perhaps, one day you may have a different opinion about it.

Good day ^_^

-Josh S.

Added: Also, you do not have to relieve to your high school years. All you have to do is set a different priority in FIRST by changing different roles or position from your high school's original.

yeah, i understand all of that, and i also understand that mentoring can be a very rewarding experience, and i plan to definitely take on that role some day to give back what FIRST gave to me- i owe a lot to this organization.
its just because of my obsessive/addictive personality type i don't think it would be a good idea for me to do it through college (=.

[BTR]

It's never your "last" year of FIRST. Back in high school, I was on Team 228 for three years (99-01). Now, after college, and getting settled in at my job, I'm back, this time as an engineer and mentor. It's just as fun now as it was back then, and I can see myself doing FIRST for many years to come.