Hellllooooooooooo Everyone!
How has your week been? All is well here, just can’t wait for this week to be over. It’s been really hectic. Let’s see here, looking at my calendar, I’ve had three days where I’ve been on campus (working or in class) for more than 12 hours, had two midterms, and two reports do. Lots of work? You bet. Worth it? Most definitely.
I have stopped from time to time to ask myself what the point of all this work is for. After all, if you are going to put in all of this hard work, you better get some payoff, no?
Well, let’s take a look at that question… at least from my perspective.
For me, my goal is to be working up in the sky- designing and flying the planes of the future! Here’s a starter- so it looks like I am well on my way!
In all seriousness, do check out my recent post about my summer experience as an Aerodynamics Performance Engineer up at Boeing in Seattle! But enough about me, let’s talk about how USC helps you maximize your payoff –> that is, to get a job after graduation.
One of the many resources we get to have as engineers here at the Viterbi School is access to the Viterbi Career Center as well as the University-wide career center. Imagine that- two separate headquarters to go to where hundreds of employers go to list jobs for you- USC undergraduates! Check out the Viterbi Career Services webpage to get a better feel for all of the opportunities there are out there for Trojan undergrads! The University Career Center is definitely also a good place to check out!
So those two places are there year round to help you with interview preparation, resume reviews, and just generally helpful tips. What goes on during the rest of the year? Well, very recently, we just had the Viterbi Career Conference, which is kind of like a musical chairs conference with recruiters in an effort to help you get to know as many companies as possible in a short time. It really takes the sting out of having to go up to a company cold calling at a career fair. A must attend in my book. Take a look at what went on at this year’s Viterbi Career Conference to see what kind of cool opportunities that Trojans are scoring this time around!
A very related event, which will be taking place here in a couple of weeks is VINE. No, I don’t mean the VINE like the stuff that grapes grow on, but Viterbi Industry Networking Event. In but a few words, it’s a you + recruiter + a table to visit at for 2 minutes + rotation for 30 minutes = Familiarity with 15 companies. What a score! It is a great opportunity to get to know a ton of companies in a really short period of time. Imagine you don’t really care for a company you visit with – well you only have to bear it for two minutes. Now, imagine you had that perfect connection with a recruiter or hiring manager- well now you’re set. Practice that elevator pitch (90 second background about yourself, your studies, interests, and involvements) to get ready for this one. I can’t tell you how many great people I’ve met at events like these. They are great contacts to have in industry at large, even if you don’t decide to go to work for that firm. You never know what the future holds.
So these are to big networking events. What about Career Fairs? Well, you’ve come to the right place – we don’t have just one Career Fair, we have two. And yes, the second is an especially cool one since it focuses on engineering! Imagine booths filled with representatives from companies you have dreamt of working for all lined up along Trousdale Parkway (the main street though campus). Well, you’re envisioning the Career Fair.
That will take place on 20 September of this year. That’s just round 1 as I mentioned. Round 2 comes with the Engineering Career Fair to take place on 4 October of this year. Buckle down, because there are a ton of companies to be present at this Fair. Check out the list!
Let me tell you from personal experience- I landed my internship at Boeing this last summer through attending conferences like these to help me get to know people within the company. I am very fortunate to have interned at The Boeing Company this last summer, and have been even more privileged to have been asked to continue working as a Campus Ambassador for them throughout the year. I can’t wait to be back at Boeing next summer! If you have any questions about the specifics of the career scene at USC, by all means, do comment on my blog, or e-mail the Viterbi Student account, and myself or any of my VSA buds would be happy to share their experiences with you!
Have a great week everyone, and happy job searching (well for those of us about to be in the real world soon)!
Adios
