What’s in a Graduation? Twitter Chat for June 18 2014

At this time of year, thousands of post-secondary students around the world are enjoying the fruits of their many many hours of hard work and attending their graduation ceremonies.  It’s a fun time, a celebratory time, and a time for families to show their pride in their graduate’s accomplishments. It’s a time for students to emerge from the fog of exams, get cleaned up and put on a cap and gown.  It’s a time for universities and colleges to show their prestige by inviting a notable celebrity or business leader to receive an honourary degree or deliver a commencement address.  (Here’s a favourite from Steve Jobs delivered at Stanford in 2005).  Otherwise a valedictorian or guest speaker will speak –  Dr Seuss’s Oh the Places you’ll go is often quoted in this setting.

More than anything, though, it’s a time for graduates to step symbolically from one part of their lives into another.  It may be a time of great reflection and soul-searching in addition to feeling proud (and relieved!) to be finished studying.  So what’s in a graduation?  Are there key experiences, ideas or pieces of advice that all students need?  How about engineering students in particular?  What insight or support do you wish you’d been given at your graduation (if you’ve had one already)?  If you’re still a student, what does graduation mean to you?  How can engineering education help prepare their students for graduation?  What does prepared look like in today’s world?

Join me, Erica Lee Garcia, P.Eng.  @engineeryrlife, as we discuss What’s in a Graduation this week on the Big Beacon twitter chat, as we discuss these questions and more.  If you’re a graduate receiving your degree this week, please accept our congratulations from everyone here at Big Beacon. We trust you are well on your way to a career full of doing wonderful things!