How has your involvement in FIRST affected your career choice?

[George A.]

Like most people who've responded to this thread, my career goals have changed greatly upon being involved with FIRST. However, unlike most people I didn't want to be an engineer before being involved in FIRST, and likewise I still don't. Not that I have anything against engineers, I just lack the pertinent skills needed to be an engineer.

Before FIRST I wanted to be a foreign language teacher. However during the spring semester of my freshman year in college my life was changed. I volunteered for my first FIRST regional (the 2005 New Jersey Regional) and I signed up to be a play-by-play announcer. I didn't think I had a shot to announce since I was the third backup. However, as luck would have it the first two people weren't able to attend the regional. So there I was 18, just out of High School and needed to entertain the crowd at a FIRST regional. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck, but apparently I did well. At the end of the regional Randy Schaeffer came up to me and asked if I wanted to help out with New York City. Since then I've been asked to announce at 3 different regionals and the World Championships. Some people from the crowd even asked where I got my training, and were shocked when they found out that I never announced before.

So anyway, thanks to FIRST I changed majors and am now a mere 2 years from getting my broadcasting license, and hopefully will be working for a radio station shortly after.

I owe a lot to FIRST, and like Sara I will be involved in FIRST for as long as I can, so I can give future kids the opportunities that I received.