FIRST Tech Challenge is the closest thing to a professional engineering team that high schoolers can join. Build a 24-pound robot. Code autonomous routines. Compete with — and against — alliances at regional tournaments.
Each FTC season runs roughly September through April, with a new game theme released each year.
The new game is announced. Teams analyze the field, scoring rubric, and rules to develop a strategy.
Design and build the robot. Develop autonomous and driver-controlled programs. Iterate, test, fail, repeat.
Compete at local league meets. Form alliances with other teams. Refine strategy. Document everything.
Top teams advance to regional, super-regional, and World Championship competitions in Houston.
FTC alumni go on to engineering, computer science, and product roles at top universities and companies. Here's why.
Drivetrains, manipulators, gear ratios, structural design — all hands-on with real consequences.
Java or Blocks programming. Real version control. Sensor fusion. Computer vision with AprilTags.
Build, test, fail, redesign. Engineering notebook documentation. The actual engineering process.
Read the rule book. Find the meta. Design alliance strategies. Analyze opponents.
Build season is a real deadline. Teams learn to scope, prioritize, and ship under pressure.
Judge interviews. Mentor outreach. Sponsor pitches. Public speaking that actually matters.
The single most important resource is GM0. Bookmark it.
The single best resource for everything FTC. Build, code, strategy, best practices — all in one place. Maintained by the community.
Open GM0 →Registration, rules, event schedules, team resources. The authoritative source.
Visit FIRST Inspires →Full list of FTC (and FLL) resources organized by audience.
View resources page →Join an upcoming FTC summer camp session at Gum Spring Library, or start a new team at your high school.
