The FCDS Alumni Association Board is proud to introduce the FCDS Alumni Career Network (ACN) to connect all FCDS alumni for professional and career networking. The Board has spent the last few months designing and creating a forum to connect younger and older FCDS alumni for career mentoring, advice, and development. The Board will oversee the Network with assistance from Mr. John Danforth, Director of Alumni Affairs. Active and engaged FCDS alumni will spark interest and drive growth of the Network.
Building on the last two years of the FCDS Alumni Career Day, the Board has identified several potential mentors and advisors among the FCDS alumni community. FCDS alumni excel in every field around the world. There are alumni in the arts, entertainment, and media. There are alumni working in finance, big business, manufacturing, information technology, litigation, government, the military, and politics. Being involved with the Alumni Career Network presents a great opportunity for alumni to help fellow alumni.
By aggregating the knowledge of all FCDS alumni, the ACN can provide a great first step up the career ladder for younger FCDS alumni. The ACN also will be an effective way for older alumni to connect with their classmates about mid-life career changes or interest in new opportunities. Also, older alumni may find new ideas, insight, and inspiration from younger alumni, particularly those who may have settled into careers that have emerged in the last decade.
Potential Uses of the ACN
- Career advice about potential careers (to current college or graduate students from alumni in established careers)
- Career connections for alumni looking for summer internships or first jobs after college, graduate or professional school
- Professional connections in a new area of the country, or in a particular field or specialty
- Job Postings (either alumni employers or alumni searching for positions)
How to Join the ACN
The FCDS Alumni Career Network will connect us all! Within the well-known web portal Linked In, the FCDS Alumni Board has created a home for the ACN. Linked In is similar to other social networking sites, but all activity is restricted to professional development and postings about careers. Linked In allows any user to set up a personal profile at no charge. The Board has created the “Forsyth Country Day School Alumni Association” as a group in Linked In. This group enables FCDS alumni to make professional connections. Designated Alumni Board members serve as administrators of the group.
All FCDS alumni are encouraged to join the group and participate in the FCDS Alumni Career Network. Many alumni have established Linked In profiles as part of recent job searches or professional networking. The Board encourages those alumni to now join the group.
For those unfamiliar with Linked-In but interested in exploring the site and joining the ACN, please visit www.linkedin.com. In the top right corner, click on the link Join Today and follow the enrollment steps.
To find our group, use the Search drop-down menu at the top in the center. Select Search Groups and type in Forsyth Country Day School or FCDS and press ENTER. You’ll find Forsyth Country Day School Alumni Association there. Click on the link Join this group and follow the steps. Your request for membership will be processed within a few business days.
Contact Information and Feedback
If you have additional questions or need more information, please contact John Danforth during school hours at (336) 945-3151, extension 367, or via email at johndanforth@fcds.org. Also, feel free to contact David Beason, FCDS Class of ‘87 and Alumni Board Member via email at david.beason@gmail.com. John, David and the Alumni Board welcome all feedback, particularly any personal success stories that unfold from the ACN. With permission of those involved, John and David might seek to include an account of these in a future Fury Alumni News newsletter and in other school media.