[afera]

The very first thing you need to keep in mind for becoming an FTA is that it takes up A LOT of time. Most volunteers only show up after the field is built and leave when the "Event" is over. The time requirement for us is being at the event from setup which for us is Wednesday Night (FIRST in Michigan Districts) until Saturday when the field is packed. On top of that we are asked to work as many events so we can make sure all of the events are covered. And there is a lot more than just the technical skills, a lot of our job is dealing with people (explaining problems, talking to upset people, ect.). Lastly there is a lot of responsibility such as making sure the event is running on time, teams are connecting on to the field, the field is setup and running properly, etc.

A lot of our Training comes from our years of experience as FTAAs and CSAs before becoming an FTA. You WILL learn a lot in those roles! FTAs also have training in late January at FIRST HQ where we learn about Field Management System, Control Systems, Field Mechanical/Setup/Packing, Robot Diagnostics/Troubleshooting, etc. Most of our training is available to FTAAs, CSAs, FMs, etc via Schoology.

With that in mind your first step will be to contact your local VC or FTA and tell them of your interest. You will probably be put in as a ScoreKeeper, FTAA or CSA to begin, my personal route was ScoreKeeper to FTAA to CSA to FTA.

After working a few seasons as those different roles, and doing a good job at it, you will then be selected for the position. The selection is between FIRST HQ, Local VC/EC/RC and Local or Assigned FTA(s). I was doing several different (technical) jobs for about 5 seasons before I was selected.

Again every region is a little different make sure you talk to your local VCs/RCs/ECs and FTAs and tell them of your interest, sign up for a technical role and impress.

Good Luck!