Graduation, a great experience in a young man’s life; successfully completing years of work and dedication to reach this point and commemorate in front of family and friends.  For some maybe they are first generation college students and sharing in the happiness and accomplishment that the family is celebrating.  For others they bring pride and joy to the family as they continue to follow in the legacies of parents and grandparents before them.  No matter what type of college graduate you are, the fact is you have earned this remarkable milestone and now are beaming with energy ready to tackle the world with your new found knowledge and confidence.   However, with the recession of the last few years, will your newfound confidence be diminished?

Did you know that according to an article by The New York Times this past May only 56% of students from the class of 2010 had jobs, compared to 90 percent of the graduates from the classes of 2006 and 2007?  The same article also discussed a study that was released by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, at Rutgers University that median starting salaries for four-year colleges in 2009 and 2010 was $27,000, down from $30,000 for those who entered the workforce in 2006 to 2008.  Why do I bring this up in the Educational Foundation blog?  To discuss the importance of continuing to develop upon the networking skills you have begun while in Sigma Pi.

Being in a Fraternity brings with it a skill set that non-fraternal students miss out on, in my personal opinion.  By living in a chapter house, attending meetings, becoming involved in the work and social systems of Greek Life, we have learned a multitude of skills that one would not learn in their usual course work.  I remember sitting in interviews and found it easy to answer questions like: Have you ever had to work with uncooperative people and how did you handle this?  Have there been times when you had to lead a project and motivate people to participate?  How would you describe your ability to meet deadlines in a cross functional team?  These are questions we can answer if we were active in the chapter since we have a group of 25-150 men that are trying to be successful on campus; and in order to do that there is a lot that needs to be done.  But how do we truly use the network we have made and bring these skills to life? 

The answer to this question is what Sigma Pi University has been re-designed for.  The classes are designed to help prepare Sigma Pi members for life after college.  The presenters come from a myriad of professional fields and have prepared materials to help with networking, interviewing, resume writing and leadership attributes to help you be a better person and candidate for the position you are looking for.  Thanks to support from Alumnus Tony Siress (Santa Clara, ’87) $65 of your registration fee is covered allowing for a cost of only $200 for you to attend.  To support you further the Sigma Pi Educational Foundation is providing an avenue for alumni and parents to cover this cost and sponsor you.  For our parent and alumni members reading this article, if you would like to cover the cost of this program for a student or recent alumnus to attend, please visit www.sigmapiedfund.org/donation.  On this page simply use our drop down tab and select the Tony Siress Career & Educational Institute and in the comment field let us know the chapter or student you are sponsoring.