Author: Christian

Dad, barista, sommelier, nerd, photographer and gourmand. Wanna-be chef and happy camper in general. Coffee fetishist!
pitt commons

How Pitt can help your make it through the Coronavirus crisis

Posted on by Christian in commons, europe, news, pitt

Everybody is affected by the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). No one is exempt, regardless of faith, beliefs, ethnicity and location. People are forced to stay indoors, at home and be more or less isolated to try and limit the risk of infections.
Graduation was right around the door for so many Pitt students and now they could use advice or mentorship from alumni more than ever!

man in protective wear
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Pitt wants to help our alumni, faculty, staff and students to stay connected by using technology in better ways. It has created a platform for this, reserved for members of the Pitt community.

It features professional development opportunities, distance learning classes and training programs and ways to increase your reach, enlarge your network and find other Pitt alumni out there who can help you in daily life (talk, discuss, reminisce) or work (land that interview or find a new career).

Pitt Commons is Pitt’s global (career) network comprised of Pitt alums, faculty, staff, and students, and it’s your one stop shop for all things career-related.

https://commons.pitt.edu/

Pitt Commons

There are job and discussion boards on topics ranging from resume rejuvenation to career assessment/career change, to how to stay competitive in your chosen field.

Joining Pitt Commons connects you to fellow Pitt alums and gives you access to resources specifically geared toward career development.

Take 5 minutes and join the community by completing the following steps:

  1. Visit www.commons.pitt.edu
  2. Create an account for yourself
  3. Answer some questions about your career interests.
    • Once you answer these questions you can optionally import your CV directly from LinkedIn, so you don’t have to enter any of the information manually.
  4. Check your customized professional network and start reaching out.
  5. Find old classmates, colleagues, friends, flames or crushes and increase your virtual social contacts!

We are going to start providing programming in Pitt Commons soon too. We may hold classes, seminars, TED talks, and some really interesting social functions (possibly a virtual happy hour or virtual coffee) they’re still testing a bunch of things out right now.

Pitt (inter)National Mentoring Month

Posted on by Christian in commons, event, pitt

January is National Mentoring Month, and to celebrate, Pitt Commons is looking for a few good mentors!

As usual, Pitt (and the Alumni Association) seem to be ignoring anything beyond their national borders, but that’s okay. It’s normal and expected. 😉 We’re here – the Pitt alumni – and we know they don’t mean no harm… 🙂

Pitt Cathedral Commons

Anyway… Perhaps you were looking for an opportunity to give something back to current Pitt students and are open for a few mentoring sessions with them. Given your unique experience creates a whole new mentoring-level that national Pitt alums are not aware off and I think could make international alumni even better mentors than native alum who’ve never experienced living aboard for a longer period of time. (This is all in good fun and no pun intended; no offense guys!)

If you’ve always wanted to share your knowledge and make an impact in a student’s life, the opportunity is here all month long on Pitt Commons. We’ll be matching students and alumni in Flash Mentoring pairs for a quick chat.

Pitt Commons

If you are ready to become part of a potentially transformative experience for a Pitt student, please follow these simple steps:

  1. Sign up for Pitt Commons
  2. Make sure your Pitt Commons profile is updated/accurate.
  3. Join the “Mentoring Month – January 2020” group.
  4. Think about what you’d like to discuss/share with your assigned mentee.
  5. Keep an eye out for your confirmation email, which will serve as an introduction to your mentee.
  6. Speak with your mentee via Pitt Commons messaging or video chat for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Feel good about your positive effect on the Pitt community!

Questions? Reach out to commons@pitt.edu

pitt commons

Pitt Commons

Posted on by Christian in news, pitt

The university is trying out a new alumni networking platform, already used by other US universities. It’s supposed to bring us closer and let us help each other as well as Pitt Students in a way that easier than before.

I’m currently beta-testing the platform and gonna try a crash or hack it. 🙂 If you’re a computer geek like me or if you are totally unused to forums and community software like this, please help me out in testing the software! I’m interested in both geeks and n00bs alike! Because the platform is supposed to work for both equally well!

https://commons.pitt.edu/

The New Pitt Commons alumni community

Pitt Alumni Help Pitt Study Abroad Students

Posted on by Christian in Uncategorized

Here is an idea that the community of Pitt alumni living and working in Europe could pursue…

Why not lend a hand to a Pitt student who’s in Europe for a semester abroad and help them out with your local knowledge and experience?

Photo by Jimmy Chan on Pexels.com

It would be trivial to meet up with a student in advance of their stay or upon their arrival and welcome them. Tell them where to get good stuff, what an affordable place to rent is, how much rent is acceptable in your neck of the woods and how to get around in your city or region.

As a seasoned international citizen and having lived in four countries so far, I know first hand how time consuming it can be to get up and running. Finding local government offices, getting paperwork and permits arranged, knowing which forms you need for what, where can I can a public transit permit or card, getting a bank account and card, can I borrow a car occasionally or where could I rent one, how hot or cold will it get during your stay?

Photo by Oleg Magni on Pexels.com

Having a fellow (former) Pitt student levels the playing field, it removes hurdles, you speak a more or less common language. For the alum getting fresh information about PItt will mean a great deal, many us have left part of their hearts at Pitt. For most of us, it was a great time in your life. For the student, it is a great time in their life becoming even greater by going abroad for a semester.

So teaming up with a student abroad in your home town will be great. We get to be student again for a little while to a certain degree. For the student, it will mean first-hand inside information about the place they travel to and live in, something that will otherwise take months to learn and find out for themselves.

this way if you're lost
Photo by Jens Johnsson on Pexels.com

Interested?

  • Are you interested in helping out a Pitt student who’s in your area through Pitt’s Study Abroad Program?
  • Are you a student who’s in Europe or travelling to to Europe soon through Pitt’s Study Abroad program and would like to meet a Pitt alum to help you around and show you “the ropes”?

Leave us your Email address and we will get in touch with you.

Disclaimer

Please note that we will check with the University if you are indeed enrolled in the program or a known Pitt alum. For that we will share your Email address with the appropriate University’s department.