When I graduate, why should I care about my alma mater to the point where I donate or help out kids from there?
I don't see myself going out of my way to help kids just because they happened to go to the same school as me. I don't feel like I owe the school anything after paying so much in tuition either. I like to help people out in general, but I just don't have some special connection to my school.
Apologies if this comes off as ignorant; just never really understood it.
QNA: Per your question "why should I care about my alma mater .....?"
Personally, I was/am very proud of my alma mater, but when I graduated, I had ~ $60k in student loan debt. By the time I paid it in full, I'd paid a total of right at $90k. I feel absolutely zero responsibility to support the school monetarily.
I do believe many people support their alma mater in a number of ways because it is a good way to network. And, depending on the institution, it can look good on a resume' to show you're actively involved in various charitable efforts to help those following in your footsteps.
You don't sound ignorant at all. I may get MS tossed at me for not feeling more generous/benevolent, but when I choose to give money or other support to an organization, I want that money to be used in the community in which I live, not to a college that I attended 20 years ago. Like you, I never really understood it either.
Lastly, I find it hard to justify giving to a school when I do NOT agree with a number of their social positions. What is happening on college campuses across the country is a travesty. I refuse to support these bastions of progressive ideology.
Same feeling about my school here. Everytime I visit their Facebook page, I see some "Social Justice" type event going on. I refuse to give a dime to this place unless they invite speakers from all political spectrums.
I think it's less about you doing it for the school and more helping out the kids who had to go through the same challenges as you. For example, the kid who's reaching out is likely also having to deal with the tuition costs, debt, etc. This is amplified for non-targets. Not only do they have to deal with the tuition but also the lack of BB presence at the career fairs.
The kids who reach out and mention the school they know you went to are just trying to establish common ground so you're more comfortable talking with them. Of course, you don't have to help them, but maybe even forwarding them over to someone who is willing to talk with them is the least you could do.
It's a competitive process no matter what school you go to so getting a leg up in any way you can is crucial. Yes, it's true the kid messaging you on LinkedIn is "taking advantage" in a way. That may bother some people but most understand it's just business and simply part of the process. They truly need someone to go to bat for them because they don't have Harvard University on their resume.
Does it blow complete asshole for both of you? Absolutely. You have better things to do than talk to some college kid during your workday. Might sound harsh but let's be honest, it's the truth. The other side of the coin is the kid who feels uncomfortable as hell because he knows he's interrupting your workday to essentially just shoot the shit enough until you like him and hopefully pass his name along so HR looks at his resume. Again, it sucks but that's how the system operates now.
I know you haven't graduated yet. I'm just speaking in general.
BDWK:
I have no issues with helping those students who came after me at my alma mater, or anywhere else for that matter. However, you mention issues such as tuition costs, debt, etc. Giving funds to my alma mater has never been a priority for me simply b/c the money sent to these schools is NOT used to help support needy students. These funds are used to support expanding the campus, providing funding for speaking engagements (many of which I strongly disagree with) and the associated cost for police presence, campus beautification projects, slush funds for pet projects, etc. etc. etc.
I have tried to give back in other ways. In fact, I attempted to start an alma mater chapter in my current location, to no avail. Apparently there were not enough people in this area to support the chapter. Additionally, I've also gone back to the campus to recruit during career-fair week.
Not sure who your post was directed to, but I graduated in '98. I did the career fair thing from about 2001 - 2004 (or 2005, can't recall which). I provided my biz card to young people whom I could tell were serious about their career, and a few kept in touch for several years after graduation, as I had a few years on them both academically/career-wise, and chronologically.
Got off on a tangent, but helping young people develop their career does not "blow asshole" to me. I well-remember a few key people during my younger years whose advice was crucial in my decision-making process. I felt compelled to "pay it forward." To get further off on a tangent, it's the same issue my bride and I have agreed to many years ago with regards to going out for a meal.
We both worked in the service industry while I was in college. I tended bar and worked for a catering company and my bride waited tables and catered at the same place as I. We survived off of our tips. We made a pledge that we would always be superior tippers as we viscerally understand how hard that work is, and we understand the fact that most of them make 1/2 of minimum wage + tips.
Lastly, at my previous employer, I served as a mentor to new employees for nearly 10 years. Again, doing this was a way for me to do what I could to give back. I would typically get 2 - 3 mentees during summer intern programs, and I would also be assigned at least 1 mentee/year once they got hired.
All that said, there are many ways to give back to those who come after us. Blindly sending cash to an organization with no accountability is not conducive to spending my hard-earned money wisely.
I guess ill take the contrarian point here to the OPs position here. For me tuition is just that, room/board and the classes you take, all of the other non-school shit is intangible, which is what in my mind I donate toward.
In my case I had a great time at my school, met all of my current friends, met my current gf, went to the gym for free, and was able to continue to use the library/internet to teach myself finance and apply for jobs when I was struggling after undergrad. That extra shit is why I give back, if it's to buy new computers for the library, or as someone else alluded to "tear down old buildings just to make new shit," really whatever the reason, I'm paying so that hopefully someone else gets a shot at those intangibles that I had. If you didn't have a great time during your 4+years I guess I could understand why you wouldn't want to give back, but for me personally, school was way more than just education, as I'm sure that it was for a lot of other people on here as well.