[jleibs]

Hopefully I don't get too much flak for saying this...

I know it's hard to believe, but there actually IS life after FIRST. Part of going to college is about moving on and learning new things.

FIRST is great fun in high school, and there is some very impressive engineering that happens... but it is a High School robotics competition. Depending on where you go to school there are certainly other bigger, more involved projects to get caught up in. These are the things that FIRST has prepared you to go off and do. It would be a shame to miss them because you were still hanging around FIRST refusing to let go.

I graduated in 2002. I stayed in contact with my team, but I did no mentoring the entire time I was in college. I am very glad I did. I got absorbed in the DARPA Grand Challenge. I branched out and learned many different things.

Last year I volunteered at a regional event and started to get involved again. Hopefully next year I'll start to get more involved and mentor a team.

But when I mentor, I will actually be participating as an experienced mentor, bringing NEW ideas from other projects to the table. There is not going to be a question of if I'm a mentor or just an older student.

I highly recommend taking a break from FIRST. It really is for your own good. Go out and find something new to get excited about. Find a problem to solve in the world that's more free-form than FIRST. It will make you a better Mentor down the road.