Leaving Ohio, Heading to Work

Sam Williams,
Senior, Computer Science

Athens, OH 23 April 2013 – It’s down to the wire: we’re all facing the last two weeks of school this year. For me and many others, this is the last stretch of undergrad ever. This is both exhilarating and terrifying. On the one hand we’ll be moving on to bigger and better things, like grad school, jobs, or year-long breaks traveling the world, to name a few. But on the other, we’ll be leaving behind friends and experiences we may not ever have again.

Personally, I’m headed into the workforce. My job search was long, bumbling, and more often than not, hair-fall-out-ingly stressful. I made all the newbie mistakes. I made my portfolio too big, unorganized, made my resume too wordy, and shotgunned out applications with barely enough time to make sure I hadn’t insulted my reader by mixing up company names.

I also did some things right. I started working on my portfolio, resume, and general web presence in October, giving myself plenty of time to attend to mistakes and revise my image based on classmates’ feedback. I also kept all my professional content true to myself and my goals. I didn’t try to be anything I’m not.

After a lot of hard work and mistakes, I finally landed a pleasing offer at Sunstorm Games in Las Vegas, Nevada. I’ve just signed on with them and I’m very excited to start working with them this summer. There, I will be helping their art team make mobile children’s games, a job that will put my major to perfect use! I’m looking forward to having my own place, earning money, and working with a group of people who treat me like a valued friend and comrade.

I’m wishing luck to all other graduates, no matter what their plans may be. OU, Oh Yeah!

Career Fairs

Paul Barina,
Senior, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Athens, OH 25 February 2013 – As a soon-to-be-graduating senior here at Ohio University, I decided it was
best to attend any career fairs Ohio University had to offer. The career fairs are a great place to visit to look for work or an internship. Last week, there were two on campus and there was an excitement in the air regardless of why anyone was there.

On Tuesday, there were around 100 companies present for the campus-wide career fair at Baker Center Ballroom. With so many companies and so many
young college students dressed in their best, I could not help but get excited. One great aspect about the career fair is that there are many industries that are present. I saw and spoke to companies within the automotive, medical, food, and general manufacturing industries. This variety of industry allowed me to see what was really out there. Then on Thursday, there was a second career fair just for companies looking to hire Russ College students.

When surveying the options, it was important that I home in on all the engineering companies and more specifically the ones that offer Industrial
Engineering jobs. Once I had identified them, it was time to go show them what I was all about. This part is crucial. I knew that I as a young engineering student did not have long to impress the professionals present. These professionals could be anything from a Human Resource expert to an engineering manager and I knew they knew exactly what to ask and what they wanted to see in me and the other soon to be graduates. When approaching recruiters, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement along with the given nervousness. These nerves might show a little as the first conversations occur, but it is easy to get in a good groove and just rock it as time goes on.

Of course, being able to feel good at the career fair took me quite a good amount of practice. There are resources within the university and Russ College that have helped me secure practice and training to know exactly how to dress, what to say, and even tuning up my resume. The Russ College of Engineering now has a class where undergraduates can go and receive all this vital information weekly.

Overall, I always leave the career fairs put on by Ohio University with a great feeling. I always feel a sense of pride as I leave, knowing I am not only working toward my future career academically through schoolwork but also professionally.

Planning for Life after Undergrad

Paul Barina,
Senior, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Athens, OH 22 January 2013 – It would appear as cliché as it sounds, that freshman year seems like just yesterday. On one hand, this statement is absolutely correct. Around 1,277 days has already nearly flown by since I started the journey. It hasn’t felt like that! Regardless of how it felt, life is going on and life after Undergraduate School is looming. There are two options waiting to be chosen in the near distant future, job seeking, or graduate school.

First and foremost, finding a great job in a great location would be terrific! I really enjoyed my time working at Toledo Molding & Die this last summer. I was able to apply real theories and lessons learned in the class room and apply them on the manufacturing floor. This is an exhilarating feeling! Making real money for all my hard knowledge was very rewarding. This is option one.

Option two will take some patience and dedication. Graduate School has its own advantages. I would get a chance to continue to study Industrial & Systems Engineering at a more intense level at a school I love. I would have the same excellent faculty and staff to learn and be advised under. I would get the opportunity to study and concentrate on areas in which concern me within the Industrial Engineering world, which would be great.

Two great options are available for the choosing. Both options carry great weight. All that is left now is to decide!

Post-graduation Plans

Evan Teske, Senior, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Athens, OH 22 May 2012 – Beginning winter quarter last year (my junior year), I took an entire year off from school to work an internship for Abbott Nutrition in Columbus, Ohio. It was a hard decision, as I knew I would be leaving behind many friends to graduate without me, and I felt at the time that I’d be on my own in a new city to make what I could of a job and to be successful.

After a couple months of interning, I was happy with my decision—-the experience I was having was incomparable to anything I had ever done. I was learning what an engineer does day to day, and I was interested and enthusiastic about the projects I was working on and the people I was working with. When I started, I knew I would put forth my best effort to succeed at the work I was given, and as my time there went on, I began to see results of my efforts. When it came time to time to interview for a permanent position with the company, I felt pride in my experience at OU in combination with the professional experience that my internship offered.

Beginning in July, I will start my first job out of school working for Abbott Laboratories in Chicago. The job I accepted is a position in their Manufacturing Professional Development Program, which is a two-year program for college graduates, working four six-month rotations in different positions in different divisions’ supply chains ranging from project-specific engineering roles to supervisory positions. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, and I am glad I had the encouragement and support to make the decision to leave and co-op last year, or else I’m not sure if I’d be in the same position today.

Last Quarter at OU

Jeff Guynes, Senior, Aviation

Athens, OH 23 April 2012 – Winter is gone and Spring has arrived for my last quarter in Athens at OU. It is already week five of our ten week quarter! Time flies when you are busy, which I have been. Between taking a full load of classes, preparing for our national flight team competition, and applying for jobs it doesn’t seem like I have any free time.
Applying for jobs is one of the most exciting things I have done since starting at OU. Finally, all of the hard work and training in the past four years is useful! OU and the aviation department have prepared me very well to enter the real world and the world of commercial aviation. I am currently applying to seven regional airlines, and hopefully having some interviews toward the end of the quarter.

Check back later in the quarter to hear more about my job seach and the national flight team competition!