The Third Thing Davis Gives You

or, Aggies-helping-Aggies

By Joe Ferreira

Davis has sure been in the news.

And it was uncomfortable for me, sitting at my office with my UCD flag up on my wall…

But I didn’t take it down.

And here’s why

It benefits You to be proud.

I’m talking to anyone with a connection to the University of California, Davis:

• Students,

• Alumni,

• Staff & Faculty

Why you should be proud, Generally:

• We’re the 8th Ranked public university, nationally.

• With an impressive host of patents.

• We created the first energy-neutral community in the world.

• There’s that peculiar cow.

• Etc. etc. etc.

These are all great things,

but if you’re like me, you yourself

didn’t create the first energy-neutral

community.

And you probably didn’t do

much with her…

It benefits each of us to be proud

because that strengthens our

university network.

Or, from a business perspective, it

maximizes the return on our

investment.

Education is an investment, right?

College is expensive

and tuition is only going up.

For students who are just now walking the quad, going to class, and getting the bills, I’m sorry.

Yes, the cost is extreme

and we should fight to keep it reasonable

But we should also make sure we get

the most from our college experience.

I saw this article on Davis Wiki… http://daviswiki.org/Getting_the_most_out_of_your_student_fees

…And it was cute,

But it was ALL:

• Go to class

• Eat at the Coho

• Enjoy Picnic Day

• Explore the Campus

• Become a member of a club

• Make use of Student Services

• See a Theatre & Dance Department show

I endorse all of those things,

but there was one large piece of

advice that was missing.

To stay active in the Davis Network!

Any college gives you 3 Things:

1. A diploma.

2. Knowledge and experience.

3. A network of peers.

#1 The Piece of Paper.

We can all agree:

One reason you pay all that money is for your credentials.

#2 Knowledge and Experience

College gives you 4(ish) years to learn, grow, and try new things.

because that is the resource that never runs out.

But don’t forget that third thing…

Long after you leave Davis you can still

reach out and connect with fellow

Aggies.

You get only 4 years of classes,

but a lifetime of contacts.

Take a look at this chart I made:

And there’s never

been an Easier time to connect

And we proved we can come

together in rough times.

So…

Let’s kick up the

Aggies-helping-Aggies spirit

It’s a down economy. A bachelor’s degree doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a job these days. Can’t we all use some connections?

I have my current job because a Davis Alumni helped me out.

This is the vision I have:

• Thriving online social networks with job offers and places for mentors and recent grads to connect.

• Well-attended alumni events where people come to have fun, meet friends and network.

• Friendly faces in ANY city you move to. (Those who are headed to NYC, look me up!)

• A peer group full of movers & shakers & entrepreneurs & artists.

I know that might sound

a bit group-huggy, but after all...

We paid for this too!

This is the third thing Davis gives you.

So: Alumni, Current students,

here are some online networks to get you started

And remember,

this is a benefit that we can’t enjoy alone!

• General UC Davis LinkedIn page

• LinkedIn Alumni page

• UCDavis Facebook page

So who am I anyway?

Clearly, I went to UCD.

I now living in New York where I manage production and new product development at a publishing house.

I also DJ, make mashups, and write plays.

Connect with me!

Just drop me a ‘Go Ags’ message.

linkedin.com/in/Joedferreira

facebook.com/Joedferreira

twitter.com/JoeRedHead

joeredhead.tumblr.com

youtube.com/user/DJJoeRedHead

Share this slideshow with all of

your Davis contacts.

Thanks!