Engineering fair popular among job seekers

Fair continues to grow, companies continue to seek N.C. State students

Joanna Banegas

Staff Writer

The Engineering Career Fair will take place today at the McKimmon Center from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. According to the University Engineering Career Web site, the event is presented by the College of Engineering and the Engineer’s Council, is held twice a year and is one of the largest career fairs in the country held for engineering students.

The event provides an opportunity for prospective employers from a wide range of industries to meet with engineering students interested in working for their companies.

The Web site also stated that the Career Fair was first established in 1998. It was ‘originally held as a one-day, once-a-year event that attracted about 60 companies and 1,500 students, the fair has grown into a two-day, twice-a-year event that brought in more than 340 employers and 4,400 students in fall 2008.’

Brian Koehler, the director of Engineering Career Fair, said the fair is a wonderful public service for the alumni, general public and especially all the N.C. State students.

‘They have one thing in common and that’s looking for jobs,’ Koehler said. ‘They are job seekers and the companies are willing to hire them which is awesome.’

Koehler said although the fair has been affected by the economy, there are 159 companies registered for the career fair.

‘Despite the current job market, we’re still at a good capacity which is truly amazing,’ Koehler said. ‘This is a real tribute to the high quality of emphasis on the University but it’s also a tribute to how our partners view our engineers and students in general.’

In 2009 the Engineering Career Fair noticed a decline in the number of the companies participating at the fair, according to Koehler.

‘We noticed a whole lot more cancelations at the last minute last year. This year we had weak numbers once again but we noticed a lot more registration at the last minute, indicating that budgets are starting to turn around,’ he said.

Koehler also said each semester there is a lot of new companies.

‘Companies hear about our high quality of students,’ Koehler said. ‘That is what these companies are seeking. Because they realize that the futures of their company are right here.’

Koehler said students travel as far away from Texas, Florida and New York.

‘Students and job seekers follow these companies because the best of the best in the entire world are right here,’ Koehler said.

Jon Delgado, a sophomore in chemical engineering, said the economy for engineers is getting better.

‘Companies at these career fairs are recruiting students and people fresh out of college and graduate school,’ Delgado said.

‘They want to have a mix of young and older people. It’s a cycle that usually occurs in every company.’

Delgado said the reason he plans to attend the fair is to get ‘hands-on experience’ by speaking to different companies and obtaining an internship.

‘By working with a company it will help me see if my major is really want I want to do,’ he said. ‘When I apply for graduate school I can use that internship as a reference. Most companies offer money for co-ops and internships, which is a bonus.’

Delgado also said that by being an engineer he will be able to get a job easier because engineers develop many things.

‘With chemical engineering we help out the overall environment of our planet,’ Delgado said. ‘In my opinion every job is affected by the job market, but engineers are vital for the economy and the world.’