Civil engineering student Sophia Lu, who is one of the ESS Career Fair co-ordinators, says the event isn't all about jobs-it also gives students a chance to learn about their profession and the kinds of work they may end up doing.
(Edmonton) Even in a tough economy, there are connections to be made and jobs to apply for. And hundreds of University of Alberta engineering students are putting their efforts into this as the Engineering Students' Society hosts its annual career fair Jan. 11 and 12.
"It's really good for students to find out what kind of projects are going on and what kinds of opportunities there are," said civil engineering student Sophia Lu, who is leading organization of the career fair with fellow student Raymund Sampaga.
Lu says it's especially for students in the early years go their engineering studies to attend career fairs and ask questions about what different companies are working on and the kinds of engineers they're looking for.
For students Stefanie Kirincic and Samihah Ferdous, the event is important because it is aimed directly at engineering students-a definite advantage over general university career fairs.
"It's nice to see so many companies that are interested in civil engineers," said Ferdous.
"It's great to see what jobs are available-even ones that aren't posted yet," added Kirincic.
More than 40 companies are attending the two-day career fair this year, including some newcomers. One of those firms is Vancouver, B.C--based gaming company A Thinking Ape, which is hiring computer engineering students.
"Right now we're recruiting for summer and co-op jobs," said Taline Anein, human resources and recruiting co-ordinator for the company. "We look for students from any year who take part in events like hack-a-thons and who have GitHub accounts and portfolios," she added.
Students were also drawn to more traditional engineering firms like C-FER Technologies, a non-profit company in Edmonton that helps various industries solve challenging engineering problems.
C-FER (Centre for Frontier Engineering Research) tackles complex, unique issues, said Daryl Bandstra, a U of A engineering alumnus who is now working as a research engineer with C-FER.
"We solve special, unique problems for companies," said Bandstra, who graduated from the U of A with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2010. "We also do a lot of analysis, using finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics and other tools. It's applied research."
For career fair organizer, Lu says the reward is in being involved in the engineering student community and helping students.
"I was working on a co-op placement last year when I applied for this position," said Lu. "I wanted to get more involved in student life-and it's good to see so many students here meeting with these companies."