System iNetwork

April 1, 2008

Guest Blog: COMMON RiPs Brainstorm Ways to Volunteer

At one unusual 2008 COMMON session in Nashville, the participants had more in common than their interest in the System i -- they also shared an abundance of gray hair. The gathering of the geezers -- Retired i5/OS Professionals (RiPs) -- turned out to be a lively discussion of ways that long-time i experts at the end of their careers can stay involved by volunteering to help others.

Organized by retired IBMers Larry Youngren and Dori Allen, RiPs aims to encourage "OiPs" -- old System i professionals -- to join the Volunteer Excellence Team to serve on COMMON committees, mentor new speakers, teach their own sessions, help with registration, or sign up for the TLC crew. "The idea is to keep these folks and their enthusiasm and intelligence on board," Youngren noted.

Aside from the feel-good rewards that such volunteerism fosters, RiPs members can also earn credits toward COMMON membership, conference tuition, and other expenses involved with attending the annual meeting.

Youngren said the monetary incentives from COMMON indicate that the organization believes "This [RiPs] has value to us."

Volunteers could also assist with labs or work as subject-matter experts to help develop the curriculum for COMMON's educational offerings.

Attendees at the RiPs meeting even discussed the possibility of teaching i5/OS classes at colleges, training returning soldiers for careers involving the System i, and helping IT retirees find part-time, short-term jobs.

Youngren said he and Allen got a list of new COMMON speakers and went on a "fishing expedition" to find out if any of them wanted a mentor to sit in on their sessions and offer helpful comments afterward. "I wondered how many times I would have to drop my line to find any takers," he said. Just once, as it turned out. Everyone he and Allen contacted jumped at the opportunity.

So whether you're a RiP or an OiP (or just "RiPE" as one attendee joked), COMMON needs you. To get involved, write to VolunteerExcellence@common.org.

— Vicki Hamende, senior editor

Posted by cmaxcer at April 1, 2008 4:17 PM