Mentor experience

[wireties]

I'm an EE with vertical expertise in distributed control systems. Almost all my technical expertise applied directly to FIRST including...

C++ and embedded software techniques
VxWorks, Linux and embedded operating systems in general
Electrical design
Systems design

I know some teams struggle with software and/or electronics but our team was different. We struggled early on with mechanical design. Nowadays we have several talented MEs so I can stay in my wheelhouse! I notice that direct FIRST experience seems more helpful to MEs than to EEs and CS types. We build robots with weight limits and for limited use - it is different than most of industry. Materials and construction techniques specific to FIRST robots are evolving, becoming more and more specialized.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by wireties

I notice that direct FIRST experience seems more helpful to MEs than to EEs and CS types. We build robots with weight limits and for limited use - it is different than most of industry. Materials and construction techniques specific to FIRST robots are evolving, becoming more and more specialized.

Not what I was originally looking for here, but a marvelous crystallizing observation! Reading this clarifies one of the things that I really liked about Recycle Rush: It presented a really different problem than most years. In particular, by eliminating the need for bumpers (and reducing other stresses), it shifted the balance away from rugged construction towards speed and reliability. The GDC really did come up with a game that could get mecanums on Einstein - and win. I hope they continue to provide challenges that keep us from becoming too specialized. The more specialized FRC becomes, the more it subject it is to being viewed as an end in itself rather than a means to inspiration, recognition, and preparation of young people for an innovative career in STEM.

[wireties]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

Not what I was originally looking for here...

What I'm getting at is that relevant technical experience is helpful to be a "technical" mentor. EE/CS experience relates directly, ME a little less so (direct FIRST experience is handy for the MEs) and other technical backgrounds also apply. But building robots is not all we do - skill and experiences in management, budgeting, sales, IT, generic technical experience, welding, machine operators and especially adults who enjoy teaching and sharing with teenagers are invaluable team mentors. It takes all kinds, no doubt I missed a few important roles.

[IronicDeadBird]

So basically I have done First robotics since 5th grade with FLL, but I would say that most of my experience I pull and implement into the team I mentor comes from outside of FRC. There are plenty of shinning examples on how to handle FRC from high level teams if a student or mentor just looks around. On the other hand the experiences not directly connected to FRC but still useful are what I prefer to bring to the table as a mentor.

[SJaladi]

I started mentoring 1923 as a Freshman MechE student with very little prior FIRST experience (I mentored my younger brothers FLL team for a year). I did however have a lot of experience with shop tools, design and fabrication, as well as some of the electronics we commonly use. My first day with the team was kickoff in 2013 and I hit the ground running that build season. There was a bit of a learning curve with the student-mentor relationship side (how to be an effective mentor etc.) but I felt fairly comfortable with the technical side pretty quickly. Now after my third year, I feel like I'm starting to hit my stride as a good mentor, and not just a robot builder, but I still have a long way to go to stack up against some of the greats out there.

To answer the original question directly, I had no FRC experience, but plenty of technical skill. I was at the very least competent with every tool the team owned and usually experienced enough to teach students, I was good with Solidworks, though we didn't really use it til this year, and I was good with electronics. I picked up really quickly on pneumatics and the only place I still lack proficiency is programming. Strategic design was something I've learned along the way and I still have quite a bit to learn in that regard. In my opinion to be an effective technical mentor, you just need to have the right attitude, a willingness to learn, and some basic level of design knowledge.