[Martinez]

While I'm "technically" not an alumni... I do have a story worth telling.
(sorry for the bullet point but there's a lot here.)

*Went to Clarkson University in a large part because FIRST Robotics looked cool and my high school didn't (and still doesn't) participate.

*During my sophomore year my second semester GPA dropped from a 3.9 to a 2.9. Failed both of my design projects and only pasted Intro to Eng Design because of my previous CAD expertise. Seriously considered dropping out of engineering because it really didn't feel like the place for me. However, that was also the year we went to Championships (Texas). I was blown away by the size and impact the ~325 teams were having that where crammed into the Astro Dome. After taking "the summer off" to work at a Boy Scout Camp, I came back to Clarkson the next semester determined to finish out my degree.

*Went to work at Lockheed Martin on the next generation Presidential Helicopter. Have no idea what impact FIRST had, but since my GPA was a 3.26, so I think it certainly helped. In truth, my knowledge of engineering and design was on par with professionals with a good ten years of experience.

*Tried unsuccessfully for three years to start a FIRST Robotics team with Lockheed Martin in Owego. The ultimate decision was to provide $2000 for two years to Chuck 84. The site size at that time was 5,000 people and they are the largest employer outside of Binghamton University in this area. I'll never forget that in of my final VP meetings the question was asked "it looks like a great program, but how do we get the school to pay for it?"

*Turned down the VP head of Leadership Development a spot for a free ride to Cornell for a Masters Degree in Systems Engineering. At the time I was still trying to create a Robotics Team and this was only my second business meeting with Lockheed. I was that passionate about FIRST. That decision ultimately sabotaged my career because when the VH-71 program was canceled the only people under thirty who were retained was the ELDPs.

*Decided to earn a Masters in the Art of Teaching after being laid off in order to become a High School Physics Teacher, in large part because of my work with Boy Scouts and FIRST Robotics. I had also graduated from Clarkson with a double major in Physics which is why I was even eligible for the program. Unfortunately, I failed out. Officially it was because I was unwilling to work the 60 - 80 hours required of the program which "should be the expectations of anyone planning to go into teaching." However, it was equally as much to do with that was the same year my fiance got pregnant and our daughter was born. I still flirt with the idea of moving south to some place like Florida that will accept my education as is and I can start all over.

*Tried to go into the Navy as an AMDO just last year (Aircraft Maintenance Duty Officer) however was PDQed (permanently disqualified) because of a preexisting medical condition. I won't go into details here, however that medical condition was due to an automobile accident suffered as a Freshman while coming back from one of our high schools during the prebuild season.

*Overall, I was unemployed for two years and couldn't find anyone who would talk to me past a phone interview. Then I got desperate, and a little lucky. I ended up with a job at JH Robotics which is a very small manufacturing company (there are only five engineers on staff). The big reason I got the job was the Head of Engineering used to be on Chuck 84 back before I joined the team. This would likely be most FIRST alumni ideal job, however after five months I honestly hate it here for reasons I won't list.

So, professionally, FIRST has had a significant impact on my life and it has very much been a love/hate relationship.

EDIT:

To talk a little bit more to your specific points (and play a little bit of devil's advocate) my experience with FIRST has actually hurt me in regards to schedule and level of expectations than helped me. I got so accustom to the workload and pace of FIRST that I was completely unprepared for the level of documentation needed in the real world. As I previously stated, I may have (or consider myself to have) the level of experience of someone 5-10 years older than me, but no other managers see it. They see me as a junior engineer who knows nothing. FIRST on my resume? Borderline worthless because no one is familiar with the program. They think its like some little tiny thing but we all know that not to be true. I am quite sincere when I say I have ten years of experience but then they respond, well yeah but professionally you have less than five. The result also is that I quickly get board with the projects I'm on, especially if they last longer than a month at a time. I'll be the first to say that my attention span is now shot to %&@. It's like I'm the kid who got straight A's in school but now gets into too much trouble because he's board and so now begins to misbehave since he has nothing better to do.