 "Photo: Fiorella Casella/Poly Post")
Despite employer attendance at this year’s Spring Career Day continuing its downward trend, the fair did show signs of life in a few key areas.
Thursday’s event, which was held in the quad during U-hour, turned out to be heavily populated with defense contractors, engineering firms and government agencies, even while suffering from a lack of representation in other fields.
Theresa Sciurba, a third-year psychology student, came to the fair to look for a summer internship. She hoped it would make her more competitive when applying for grad school, but was having little luck.
“I haven’t found [many jobs] for my major,” she said. “I’ve seen a few internships, but they’re not for my field.”
In contrast, engineering students found internships and job opportunities in abundance. In attendance, were big name firms like Fluor, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and the Parsons Corporation.
Darren Marks, a fourth-year electrical and computer engineering student, came to the fair to see the representatives from Henkels & McCoy, an engineering company based in Pennsylvania. Marks will graduate in June and was not worried about finding a job.
“I think it’s easier for engineers right now,” Marks said. “The demand is going up.”
This confidence was echoed by Thomas Sirchia, a second-year computer information systems student, who said he was not concerned about finding employment because of the ubiquity of computers in all fields of employment these days.
“Everything has computers. It’ll never die,” he said.
The other big category of employers at the fair was government agencies, which included the U.S. Secret Service, the IRS, the Peace Corps and the LAPD.
Jeanette Earley, recruiter for the Peace Corps, said interest in her organization has skyrocketed this year among all age groups. She said President Obama’s call for increased public service by Americans in his inaugural address has contributed to greater student interest.
She stated that students who apply for the Peace Corps and are accepted will be given a 27-month assignment in any of the 76 countries in which it operates.
Earley said the corps offers a variety of benefits for volunteers, including overseas experience, one year of non-competitive eligibility for federal jobs and two graduate school programs available at approximately 100 colleges and universities, with which they are partnered.
Another employer with many opportunities for students was the LAPD, which is currently undertaking a major recruitment drive.
Letisia Ruiz, a recruiter for the LAPD said they expect to hire an additional 200 officers during the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends June 30, and about 800 more next year.
She said a degree is not required for employment with the LAPD, but candidates holding a bachelors’ degree will receive nearly $5,000 more in their starting salary than someone who does not.
Tom Munnerlyn, director of the Career Center, said there are a variety of reasons why students who are not interested in the aforementioned fields should still attend.
Munnerlyn said the thing students often forget is that a company will hire students from a variety of majors outside its area of focus. An engineering company may have a need for students majoring in human resources, accounting or public relations.
Another good reason to attend is for the chance to network. Munnerlyn said it’s a great way to talk with someone about a field and get an idea of what they are looking for in a candidate.
He also said students should not dismiss the fair just because there are fewer companies in attendance.
“Employers like Cal Poly students,” he said. “It’s not impossible to find opportunity.”
Reach Justin Velasco at news@thepolypost.com
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