In all reality, for nearly all of the current Self Alumni, we have a whopping one or two years of experience in our careers, so it is hard to provide much advice beyond a student’s college years. As the program continues to grow and develop though, it will only add new resources, new career paths, and grow the Alumni network, so I look forward to watching this “Connections” forum grow over time, and I will definitely continue to read each week. Hopefully you all will do the same.
I wanted to keep this last piece short and sweet, and just spend a little time talking about one important consideration after leaving KU: staying connected with the university. Maybe this is a function of being on the east coast and not often being around other KU graduates, but I have developed a much greater sense of pride in the University of Kansas and the School of Engineering since I left Lawrence. Beyond continuing to follow KU football and basketball religiously, I enjoy being in tune with the successes and achievements of the university as a whole, and particularly the School of Engineering. Of course, we all have a vested interest in seeing KU and KU Engineering do well, as that affects the credibility of each of our degrees. Beyond that though, the chance to contribute to the continued growth of KU is really a great opportunity, and one that helps KU remain a top university in the Midwest. Hopefully this is a point that the Self Alumni and other KU graduates will continue to emphasize.
There are many ways in which you can give back to KU after graduation. One is, of course, financially. This is a function of each person’s financial situation so I cannot begin to give advice here. However, I do know that we all have gained a tremendous amount from our time in the Self Program, so hopefully this demonstrates the impact Alumni can make through a financial donation. One other way I would encourage everyone to stay connected to KU though is to join the Alumni Association. It only costs $25 per year for Recent Grads, and it is a great way to stay up to date on KU developments, support the continuous recruitment for the university, and strengthen the Alumni network.
The other way I would encourage people to give back to KU is to connect your company or graduate program to KU and become a resource for graduating KU engineers. There is no better way to help the university and the School of Engineering than to allow KU to become a pipeline for your company or graduate program. KU has a fantastic engineering program, so it is a mutually beneficial relationship and one that every KU grad should facilitate if given the opportunity.
Again, it has been my pleasure to write these articles each week and I hope they have proven to be beneficial in some way or another. Take care and Rock Chalk!
Brian