Transitioning to Mentor in College

[Brian Maher]

My advice, having just finished my first year of college and mentoring, is to manage your time responsibly and that school comes first.

Some will try to talk you out of mentoring your freshman year. I just urge you to think seriously about whether you have the maturity and responsibility to juggle your obligations. College is hard and you will get lots of homework. If you're not sure you're ready, your team will surely understand if you want to take an FRC gap year.

Remember, when you are a mentor, you are fully in control of how much time you put into it. Keep in mind that if schoolwork gets rough, you can cut back on time spent mentoring; your team will understand. I enjoy mentoring, and while I hated to do so, I did skip a whole bunch of meetings to make sure I got my homework and studying done.

For anyone reading this who is considering mentoring their high school team, I strongly recommend getting involved with another team that you have not been a student on. Teams work in different ways, and I believe that the knowledge and perspective gained by working with a new team is the fastest way to grow as a mentor. My experience mentoring 2791 has made me a more effective mentor for 1257, and vice versa.

This is a good life lesson as well: never stop learning. FRC encompasses such a diverse set of technical and non-technical skills. Continue developing your areas of expertise, but try and pick up new skills along the way.

Make sure you try new things and get involved with activities that aren't FRC. You never know what you'll find, and you may find something you would rather put your time into than mentoring. College presents a really amazing set of extracurricular activities. Don't let yourself miss out without giving some a try.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask here or PM me.

Also, go to class.