Initiative · Education
The most believable person in the room is somebody who once sat in it.
Alumni a few years into work return to their own college and say what the jump was really like — the first job, the surprises, what they would do differently — to students who are exactly where they were.
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A visiting expert is impressive. A senior from your own college is believable.
Students discount advice from people whose path looks nothing like theirs. A speaker from a famous company, with a famous degree, can be right about everything and still be filed under 'not for people like me'.
An alumnus removes that excuse. Same college, same faculty, same placement cell, same starting point — and a few years later, a working life the student can actually picture reaching.
It works the other way too. Most alumni would help if asked, and few are. This gives a college a simple, repeatable reason to ask.
Who this is for
- Engineering students in any semester, and especially pre-final and final years
- Business and management students across BBA, BBM, BCom, MBA and PGDM
- Alumni associations and alumni-relations offices
- Placement and training departments that want seniors in front of students more often
A session may cover
- What the first job was actually like, month by month
- What college prepared them for, and what it did not
- How they found the job — campus, off-campus or a referral
- What they would do differently in their final year
- Paths that were not on the placement list
- Changing role, company or direction since graduating
- What they look for now when they interview juniors
- Questions from students, for as long as there are questions
The format
Two to four alumni from different years and different kinds of work, a short account from each, and then questions — which take most of the time. The college invites its alumni; GullyFuture shapes the session, briefs the speakers and facilitates on the day. Alumni agree in advance that it is not a recruitment drive or a pitch for their employer.
Also available on request
8 further topics in this area. Tell us which fit your group and we will find the right person for it.
- My First Year at Work
- What College Did Not Teach Me
- How I Actually Found My First Job
- What I Would Do Differently in Final Year
- Paths That Were Not on the Placement List
- Five Years On: What Changed
- What I Look for When I Interview Juniors
- Ask a Senior Anything
What you should come away with
- A student hears about the first years of work from somebody whose starting point was their own
- A realistic picture of where graduates of this college actually go
- What mattered from college, and what turned out not to
- A named senior a student can write to afterwards
- Alumni who have a reason to stay connected to the institution
Who runs them
Sessions are run by people who do the work
Practitioners, not trainers. Nobody here is paid to speak.
Scheduled
Nothing scheduled yet
This one is not in the calendar yet
It runs when a college, company or community asks for it. That is usually how the first one gets scheduled.
Also in this area
Related initiatives
How GullyFuture works
What each side brings
Most sessions are free for participants. Institutions provide the group and a suitable space. Contributors give their time and experience. GullyFuture shapes the format, coordinates the people and documents what happened.
Bring this to your group
Tell us:
- Who the participants are
- Their current stage
- Approximate group size
- City and institution or organisation
- What you want them to understand or practise
- Preferred timing
Contribute
You do not need to be famous or senior. You need relevant experience, the willingness to speak honestly, and respect for the no-selling rule.
You can contribute as a speaker, mentor, interviewer, reviewer, facilitator, host, partner or volunteer.
Contribute your experienceWhat we record
Counted from what happened, never estimated.
- Sessions completed
- Participants reached
- Contributors involved
- Practice or feedback activities completed
- Participant usefulness feedback
- Follow-up actions and resources provided
- Participants who later return as contributors
Participation is free for students and individual participants unless a programme says otherwise. Speakers may explain their work, but a session is never a sales pitch.
Participation is free for students.
Bring this to your college.