Quote:
Originally Posted by DevenStonow
Outside of the idea of being a mentor (in the educational/inspirational sense) what does mentoring a FIRST team in college have that other college extracurriculars don't?
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I don't think there is much to say outside of CHANGING LIVES.
But you are also gaining educational experience. I don't care what field you go into, teaching/mentoring experience is extremely valuable. Not to mention the fact that, even though you are one of the mentors, you are still getting to work with real professionals in the field, rather than just professors or grad students. If I was an employer, I would rather see you volunteering your time to a community organization that helps to change lives everywhere (particularly if you are involved in outreach, starting teams, etc. like I am) that still somewhat relates to your career field OVER something like a collegiate robotics team. Mentoring a FIRST team is COMPLETELY different than participating in a collegiate robotics team. It also would look great to me that you are dedicating yourself to an organization and a group of students that you love, rather than just doing something to advance your career. You participated on a team in high school. Now it's time to LEAD. That brings me to the last point I have. Just like FIRST provides tremendous leadership experience for participants, it also provides this opportunity for college students as well. As an employer, again, that is much more valuable than the participation experience. Now, I could be completely off, and excuse my late-night incomprehensiveness.
That being said, there is nothing saying that you can't mentor a FIRST team AND do something else (I am currently involved in a number of student and community orgs). It is entirely possible, and I would encourage you to do so.