What does keeping connected mean?
May 10, 2009
This is short intro given to Informatics graduates May 8th, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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What does keeping connected mean?
Staying connected goes beyond friending everyone on Facebook and following everyone on Twitter.
Staying connected means touching base in person, sharing your story, and meeting new people.
I want to share a few thoughts with you about staying connected:
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Mitchm Owen, who graduated last year, recently made a visit to the IUPUI campus to share his thoughts on freelancing as an option after graduation.
He spent about an hour telling how he discovered freelancing and actions he took to make it work for him.
His visit did several things; it put a recent graduate in touch with undergraduates, he gave them some perspective in this current economic environment ( it is not all bad!), and provided a contact to those interested in working in California.
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In April, Frank Tai, Informatics graduate, came back to Indianapolis for the IUPUI Special Interest Group on Graphics student exhibition to share his experiences in animation and working on Toy Story 3 at Pixar Animation Studios.
During that time, several students showed him their projects and he was very insightful and helpful to them, and
for at least one of the projects he commented that it would be a very good portfolio presentation to others at Pixar. He was very encouraging !
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Just last week Dean Schabel and others hosted a reception at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, to discover what Informatics alumni were doing and hear their thoughts on the future.
This was also an event where alumni got to meet other alumni to share possible ideas and learn of new projects that might be starting.
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I share these three stories with you because the best time to have a network of friends, associates, colleagues, and resource people is before you really really need it. People tend to gravitate toward other people with which there is a common connection. And the IU Alumni Association is one of those connecting hubs where you can start to develop your network.
All you graduates will automatically be added as an IU Alumni Association member for one year, the 2for20 plan.
And, for the price of a several Tall Decafe, Extra Hot Mochas with Soy milk, no whip please, you can get another year added on. $20.
As part of this membership you also will be come a member of the School of Informatics Alumni Associations.
From this connection you will received updates, like this magazine, on what is happening within the school, and be invited to share your thoughts and ideas at local and regional events.
An example of one of these events is coming up on June 11th at the Rathskeller downtown, where we will have an invited guest speak on Informatics and then we will all be free to enjoy the afternoon in the beer garden.
Have a good time this evening and good luck in what ever you may pursue.