As a student currently on the path to major in an engineering field, the 2018 Engineering Expo seemed like a great chance to gain some insight in regards to my career choice. The Expo took place on the 25th and 26th of September at the Ohio Union, where dozens of co-op, internship, and other opportunities are available to undergrads. However, from speaking with several other underclassmen with previous years experience, I learned that representatives of companies are generally not interested in first year students. That, on top of the fact that my resume is relatively incomplete, is the reason why I decided not to partake in the expo as an aspiring career candidate, but instead chose to volunteer.
Volunteering at the Engineering Expo helped me accomplish several things. First, I was able to accumulate more of the required hours for my scholars program. Second, and most importantly, I earned a perspective for how the process at the Expo works. I was able to get a close-up look at the type of activities I will be more and more involved in as I grow as a student and potential intern/employee.
Hopefully, this experience prepared me for future Expos so that I might be more comfortable in this environment. Such an important, formal, and competitive market of opportunities can be stressful to an individual that isn’t acclimated to the process. I am glad that I was there to learn about what goes on, and I have no doubt it will prove useful.