This is the start of the blog age for me. I don't have too many friends that blog, but I decided to start one to regularly pen (more like hunt and peck) and share my observations, musings, questions, chronicle events and once in a while peek into the future or look back at the past. I invite comments and feedback from you all.
In the spirit of jumping in right away, I want to share some thoughts about alumni group that I belong to. I was at the annual picnic of the PAN IIT group in the Bay Area. I am from IIT Madras and the number of IITM-ers in attendance at the picnic was rather low!
The Bay Area is home to thousands of IITians and each IIT has a Bay Area alumni chapter. I have been an active member of the IITM group for the last 5 years. Like most alumni groups, this one also aims to help the alumni, network and be there for them when needed. In return it expects you to be there for other members. Somehow this has not quite worked out that way.
It has been a struggle to get alumni to register, to come to events, to contribute (both $ and their wisdom)...in other words to get involved and participate. One question I get all the time is - "What's in it for me?". This surprises me, because one would think that if the IITians are as accomplished and/or ambitious as they are made out to be - they would jump at the opportunity to hook up with other IITians in pursuit of their professional goals. By the same token, I would expect that the accomplished would love to impart their acquired wisdom to the less enlightened:)
Maybe I have it all wrong. I am expecting too much and that a few regulars keep these kinds of groups alive until something "big"comes along and then folks jump out of the woodwork for a chance to grab their moment in the sun and their retire to their regularly scheduled programming. Or, we are leading such busy lives that an alumni group is not on the list of Top 10 must-do things. Or, we are solving the wrong problem - maybe there would be more interest if we focused more on kids of IITians...?
Obviously I don't have the answer. Do you?
In the spirit of jumping in right away, I want to share some thoughts about alumni group that I belong to. I was at the annual picnic of the PAN IIT group in the Bay Area. I am from IIT Madras and the number of IITM-ers in attendance at the picnic was rather low!
The Bay Area is home to thousands of IITians and each IIT has a Bay Area alumni chapter. I have been an active member of the IITM group for the last 5 years. Like most alumni groups, this one also aims to help the alumni, network and be there for them when needed. In return it expects you to be there for other members. Somehow this has not quite worked out that way.
It has been a struggle to get alumni to register, to come to events, to contribute (both $ and their wisdom)...in other words to get involved and participate. One question I get all the time is - "What's in it for me?". This surprises me, because one would think that if the IITians are as accomplished and/or ambitious as they are made out to be - they would jump at the opportunity to hook up with other IITians in pursuit of their professional goals. By the same token, I would expect that the accomplished would love to impart their acquired wisdom to the less enlightened:)
Maybe I have it all wrong. I am expecting too much and that a few regulars keep these kinds of groups alive until something "big"comes along and then folks jump out of the woodwork for a chance to grab their moment in the sun and their retire to their regularly scheduled programming. Or, we are leading such busy lives that an alumni group is not on the list of Top 10 must-do things. Or, we are solving the wrong problem - maybe there would be more interest if we focused more on kids of IITians...?
Obviously I don't have the answer. Do you?
