things you got to do because of first

[Leo 1529]

i got to hang around school and had to get admin privledges to use the easyC and other robotics related software... its awesome

and i got to do vex and totally make the best ball harvester in the land

[Darkswordsmith]

Well, for me, FIRST has been the main extracurricular activity, i spend so many hours on FIRST my 3 year old brother forgets my name sometimes.

Anyways, i have a question though, how do you guys apply to the summer internships or get jobs in a company over the summer?

I'm currently a junior in high school, the NASA internships were all for college students or students living near Goddard. My team doesnt have any sponsor at all, we raised the money the same way as last year--by asking local businesses one by one, our school district is really unsupportive. Our team name doesnt bear the name of our high school but the Yolo County who gave us some money.

Any tips in finding a good sponsor for our FIRST team? We're at Sacramento, CA, not a lot of tech business there that might support us i think.

Any help appreciated

[mpob]

Originally Posted by Darkswordsmith

Anyways, i have a question though, how do you guys apply to the summer internships or get jobs in a company over the summer?

In a word Networking and not the computer kind....

networking with people.... to get a job you need to meet the right people, ask questions, and market and sell "YOURSELF", if the company that is hiring (read this as the person in that role) does not understand you, or what your skills and experince and talents are, then you won't get an offer.....

but the first step is to network with lots of people to find out about all the opportunities that are out there.... and then chase them down!

YMHO, but is also is what works for me

--Mike

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Darkswordsmith

I'm currently a junior in high school, the NASA internships were all for college students or students living near Goddard. My team doesnt have any sponsor at all, we raised the money the same way as last year--by asking local businesses one by one, our school district is really unsupportive. Our team name doesnt bear the name of our high school but the Yolo County who gave us some money.

When it comes to schools and school districts, most are reluctant to shell out thousands of dollars for a group of twenty students at first. (No pun intended). When our team first started in 1999, we was told that if we would last at least successive seven years, then we would be considered a permanent part of our school district. This will be our eighth year in FIRST, and now, our town's Board of Education is now one of our two biggest sponsors.

Just last week, someone "from the top in downtown" had a contractor come in and wire 480 volt electricity for our lathe and milling machine in our new private machine room. We we told this was going to be a $8000 job, and it was donated to us for free. So good things come to those who wait.

Try to get your team as much attention as possible. Just keep at it. Keep trying to get media attention in every way possible. Try to get lots of articles in school newspapers/websites/announcements/etc. Go out into the community often - bring your robot - and promote FIRST. The more exposure your team gets, the better. Get your students psyched about FIRST. Aspire to win awards at competitions. Have fun. Make cool DVDs of your team during the build season and competitions. Send these out to schools and companies to show them how much fun you really have.

Eventually all these little things will come back to help you. As your team continues to mature and grow and expand, your school district will recognize how much of an impact you are having. They will soon recognize that FIRST is really amazing, and is something that they can be really proud of. It is at this point that you will finally get generous support from your school.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

[akash155]

How do u guys go about finding these things for your robotics teams? The only thing my robotics team has done due to FIRST is go to the lego robotics. I would really appreciate any help with finding activities for my robotics team to do besides build and go to competitions.

[vivek16]

I have gotten to go to a medical devices convention (and meet dean)

-vivek

[johnr]

got to spend some great time with my son

[Grant Cox]

FIRST got me a summer internship at FANUC robotics and pretty much locked my interest into a mechanical engineering career.

Also, because of our FIRST display at the MI State Fair this year, I got to personally meet Jennifer Granholm, the governor of Michigan.

[Pat Fairbank]

FIRST got me interested in mechatronics engineering, and helped me get into my first pick university with a scholarship.

It also got me a sweet co-op job at General Motors along with the opportunity to mentor Team 1503.

Also because of FIRST, I got to travel to a lot of cool places like Disney World, ride a Segway for the first time, and meet a lot of great people.

[KathieK]

I've been able to meet the celebrities of FIRST; Dean, Woodie, Dave, the list goes on and on. I've met people all over this country through this forum, and in person. I've been able to overcome great shyness and actually speak in front of a roomful of people (although I am still not comfortable with it). I've become the director of an organization of wonderful mentors. I've had the opportunity to escort VIPs around events and explain the magic of FIRST.

(And I echo the suggestion about talking with the judges if you can. And don't forget that if someone is bringing a VIP through the pits and you have an opportunity to say a few things about how FIRST has impacted you, DO IT! The anecdotes in this thread are some of the things that will impress VIPs more than anything an Ambassador could relate.)

[StephLee]

Aside from meeting all the amazing people, I've been thrust into public speaking often enough that it's almost second nature, been to more major cities than I would otherwise have been to, re-directed my career path, and discovered what I'm truely passionate about.

[AdamHeard]

Met some pretty high up people in the California Government and an internship with Northrop Grumman that is 3 years running.

[65_Xero_Huskie]

To many to count.
Probably the most memorable is Meeting VP of GM
Most *cant speak in Public* Is when a few of us on the team got the nickname "Lockdown Crew"

[Scott Morgan]

I got a job thanks to my involvement in First. It also allowed me to met some really cool people.

[Bomberofdoom]

Met new friends from Israel thanks to FIRST(and I'm hoping to getting to meet some friends from out of Israel too ).