As my final post for this course (meaning my posts will no longer be limited to course guidelines!), I have chosen to discuss a subject that is of great importance to me.

Tonight, Austin hosted Ignition at Speakeasy. Ignition brought together 20 of the best local start ups to pitch the audience-20 slides, 20 seconds each slide. “2020″ was an incredible event, hosted by Microsoft’s Bizspark and Techset. In attendance were tech enthusiasts such as Brian Solis, Stephanie Agresta, and our own Austin tech celebrities such as the Conjunctured crew.

So, how was my experience at Ignition? Well, unfortunately, my experience consisted of following updates from my friends on Twitter. Why? I am not 21. 

This may seem trivial to many of you, but this is not the first event I was not able to attend this year, and it is frustrating. Who is to say that college students under the age of 21 are not interested in their careers, and namely, networking? Aside from the legality issues (which I completely understand), underage students should not be kept away from experiences that will enhance their professional lives. 

Unfortunately, the majority of business events are happy hours or evening parties; And to accommodate large numbers of people in a fun venue, the events are hosted at bars or clubs. 

I do not know what the future holds for this argument, but as a student that will not turn 21 until the end of my senior year, I am disappointed to think that I will be unable to attend events such as these until then. Has anyone had similar experiences or have any advice?