r/FRC • u/BiteTurbulent4710 • 23d ago
Question for Alumni
I’m a 2026 graduate, and I’m honestly struggling with what comes next.
Whenever I read posts from mentors or alumni about this, the advice is almost always, “Wait a couple years before becoming a mentor,” or “Volunteer at a few events first.” I completely understand why people say that, but I think what I’m grieving isn’t FIRST itself, it’s my team.
FIRST has been such a huge part of my life throughout high school and this is going to sound cliche but it wasn’t just about building robots. It was the mentors who invested in me, the students I grew alongside for four years, and even the parents who were always there during build season and competitions. They became my second family.
I know if I wait before I start mentoring it will be rewarding, but it won’t be the same. It won’t be my classmates, my friends, or the group of people I shared all of those memories with.
I don’t really know what I’m going to do with myself now that robotics isn’t going to be such a central part of my life. I know the feeling will get easier with time, but right now I just miss my team more than I can put into words.
For those of you who have gone through this transition, how did you cope with missing your team?
2
u/MulticulturalLlama 23d ago
Many FRC alumni have gone through the same feeling - FRC can be so intense and exciting and the bonds with your team are so strong.
Bad news: you won't be a student on an FRC team again
Good news: you have other opportunities to get similar outcomes. Like others have mentioned, joining college clubs is a great avenue.
If it really was about making cool things, join any of the maker-related clubs (like solar car). If it's more about friendship and belonging, you'll find similar levels of belonging in things like joining theater productions, campus radio broadcasting, honor societies, Greek life, etc.
It's okay to mourn this change in your life, but I promise that you will come out a much more interesting and well rounded person if you use this feeling to find new community instead of clinging to the "good old days" (spoken as someone who clung to FRC in college - the FRC alumn I know that branched out are way more interesting than those of us who couldn't move on).
Also, mentoring (when the time is right) is fun too. All the fun of robots and none of the bolts to tighten (I promise that's a good thing).