Is it bad to be over-dedicated to your team?

[Ryan M.]

Originally Posted by Rez648

Each team has the dedicated few that show up to every meeting, build session, and PR event, but is this a bad thing?

Yeah, those are the bad ones. The good ones do the bad stuff, plus wear T-shirts and pins to school everyday, despite being spit upon by their fellow classmates...

Over dedication... I mean, what's that!!!!

[tiffany34990]

umm i'm competely dedicated to my team-- die for S.P.A.M. that's pretty much it-- but i still maintain my school work and grades ofcourse since our team makes sure we maintain a 3.0--no D, or Fs allowed to travel-- and well I can't always go to all night meetings since of school but I'm totally dedicated-- i always support our team and other teams too--but when i miss a meeting i'm sad-- i luv going to the meeting cause well robotics is my stress relief-- and i luv working on the machines--
I think u can be dedicated as long as you don't act like you own the team- it's a team and you all work together.

and to that list-- yes i find humor in it!!

[Kiwi_queen]

reading through Ken Wittlief's "checklist", I said "yes" to every single question (although the stuff about "working on robots" is in my case altered to "working on stuff for robotics").

I've lost count about how many arguments I've gotten into with my mom and aunt about my involvement in robotics (and subsequently, the amount of money spent on it).
and my non-robotics friends all make jokes about the amount of robotics-related stuff I carry around in my purse with me at all times (y'know..the essentials..safety glasses, zipties, mini-screwdrivers, measuring tape, duck tape...etc)

gotta love that robotics!

[Goobergunch]

9. Do you fantasize about taking your robot to school, to work, to church, to the prom? Do you rationalize reasons why this would be a good thing?

*points to sig line*

Without Robotics, I probably wouldn't have a life - okay, so I don't have one anyway (taking 4 APs and having the oddest lunch period in the school will do that to you), but without Robotics I'd have a negative life.

So yes to 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 (and possibly 3).
No to 4, mainly because almost all of my friends are on the team.

[Liz Smith]

Originally Posted by Kiwi_queen

and my non-robotics friends all make jokes about the amount of robotics-related stuff I carry around in my purse with me at all times (y'know..the essentials..safety glasses, zipties, mini-screwdrivers, measuring tape, duck tape...etc)

gotta love that robotics!

Yeah, my mom wonders why I would ever keep safety glasses, 3 or 4 sharpies, plastic chain and 1/2 inch collars in my purse.... It's because I love robotics! I come to all of the meetings too, and I really care a lot about the team, but I don't know if I would say that I'm overdedicated. Also, unlike some people, Robotics hasn't taken me away from relationships with people, but instead has brought me close to a lot of other people.

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

as long as you dont start to think its 'your team' or that you somehow are more deserving of the benefits and priviledges that go with being a team member

I agree the over dedication to the point where no one else contributes would definitely be a bad thing. Some teams (like ours) have a small group of 'core' members that fill up leadership roles and take a unequal weight of the work on their shoulders. I can see how a this would be a problem when the 'core' team graduates. So my take on the issue:

Over dedication is good as long as you are soooo dedicated to the team that you'll prepare the team for success even after you leave.

[KenWittlief]

[boy I hate to have to do this but]

FIRST is OVER - the championship was two weeks ago!

GO HOME!

GET LOST!

I DONT LIKE YOU ANYMORE! Go find something else to do till next january
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[looks around - are they gone? now I'll have no one to talk to until next year]

um.... guys...... hey wait for me.... dont leave me here by myself

hello?!

ok you can hang around in the chitchat forum, but thats all

[Adam Y.]

Over dedication is good as long as you are soooo dedicated to the team that you'll prepare the team for success even after you leave.

Im not too worried about my replacement. He is a little hyper and really tends to think big. He told me he wanted to install a water cooling system for our drill motors.
Yeah Im pathetic. My uncle sends me his old tools(caliper and micrometer from Sears) that he used to create bullets. I know they must be good because my uncle is still in one piece. I literrally spent 400 to 500 dollars on robotics books. The sad fact is that I just learned the company that I buy these books from is a sponsor for a team.

[mtaman02]

hrm? over addicted to a team / FIRST --- yep thats me . I mean it isn't a bad thing to be addicted to something that you enjoy doing and enjoy helping others do what you have done. However you have to remember:

If your a graduated member from the team - you are considered a team alumni and are welcome to continue to support the team, just so long as you don't consider your self a team player. (Driver or any other Team Roles out there).

If your not a graduated member from the team [still in hs] - your addiction is not a huge problem b/c your coaches and captain / president expect to see you alot of work for the team. whether its just you or a group of people.

As my ex-coach would always tell the visitors going to see the team that have asked about past and current members.... "They would take the door off the hinges if I didn't let them in" this would apply for both the alumni & current members.

It has become tradition to wait in front of the school @ 6am and wait for the coaches to arrive so that robotics work can get underway. Normal Robotics close up time would be around 3:30pm if there wasn't a meeting. And during build season the days would usually end 6-7pm and continued work on a saturday / holiday if whether and school personal permitted.

As you can see by the above statements, It's quite normal to be a dedicated member b/c in the end the job gets done whether you helped / watched / or did it yourself. I wish that these so called Vet Teams could go up against multiple alumni teams.

For instance an "X" amount of team members from "X" amount of teams may form one team. and another set of team members from various teams may form another team etc...... After all the Alumni members have a team that they;re on. they may build a robot during build season and have a mini-compeitition going up against the regional champions / finalists and Championship Champions from the year b4. This would not only help solve some addiction but would also see how much we have learned from our coaches, and fellow teams in how to build a successful robot and team. However Funding may play an issue.

Reguardless this sounds like a decent idea.

[Bcahn836]

I personally have put in over 100 hours overtime into the building of this years robot, I show up to all the meetings even on the weekends except Sunday (race day NASCAR).In fact the only day i missed last year was a religious holiday, the Daytona 500.LOL. And those 100 hours are all after school and does not include the time i put in during my engineering class. However i am not the only one. we have about 15 people and mentors that have just as many if not more hours than i do. I don't think this is a bad thing, we get things done when they have to be done, and we always have atleast one or two people from each sub team.

[Denman]

Overdedication:
It can be good, as it enables the things to be done more quickly.
Most people have said that it is bad forgrades, this isn't bad for the team, but its bad for youself (points out off topic)
The only bad effect is that the peoplewhoa re over dedicated, get really grumpy andsay they made the whole robot, and thus theyhave to control it etc.
Everyone needs to be dedicated, but overdedication is bad for the team spirit and can cause the teams to have major arguments and maybe even split, and thus make the competition less fun.

[c-squared_2006]

Well it really depends on the person's definition of over dedication. What may to too much commitment to one person may be nothing to another. I really depends on the person. But dedication is something that everyone should strive for. Not every one necessairly have to have the same definition of dedication, it really just satisfying your own thinking. Personally I've been plenty commited, but not enough for my own liking.

[Koko Ed]

It's bad to be over-dedicated if you're married.













*gulp!*

[Tytus Gerrish]

im completely decidated to my team, im so dedicated that my dedication spilled over to another team and i help them. And im Completekly dedicated to my legoleague team as well.

[aaronbr28040]

There is a difference between being dedicated and being over dedicated. Just because you sacrifice other things for the team does not necessarily mean you are overdedicated. Anytime you want to be involved in something sacrifices must be made. In my opinion FIRST is such a valuable experiece that it is worth the sacrifices. I know my grades dropped 3rd Quarter (during build season) and at the beginning of 4th Quarter. I knew that the amount of time and energy that I was putting in during build season would make them drop, I just accepted it and continued. I dont ever think that I will regret the time spent and sacrifices made, but I've been accepted to college since November so I didnt have that bearing down on me. If you are a freshman, sophmore, or junior you need to sit down and think about what effects dropping grades could have on your future. Every person also has their limit and different people have better or worse time management skills. Do like you will have to in college, and in the real world. Prioritize everything that needs to be done, and dont always put robotics first or you will suffer in the end.
-Aaron