Space!

... industry, that is.

One of the many things that makes my school such a special place is that we have recruiters looking to hire students as interns, part-time, and full-time, at all times, and at all levels. There are events at least weekly for different industries and companies, and our online job search/application engine is updated daily, with almost universally industry-related positions. No retail or food service jobs on DiggerNet, save the on-campus ones.

So today there was a workshop about finding and getting jobs in the aerospace, DOD, and aviation industries. Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and SEAKR Engineering had representatives there to tell us how to stand out among applicants, and what they each had to offer. First of all, I love that campus recruiters come to Mines to sell themselves to the students. They know we're the best, they want us. It's great.

Second, I find it amusing that even though the event said it was also for DOD (that's 'department of defense' if you were wondering) and aviation, everyone there-- organizers, campus recruiters, and students alike-- knew that we were all there because SPACE. One of the ULA guys even put it that way: "Why would you want to go into mining when you could be working in space?" It amused me, and rocketed (pardon the pun) ULA much higher on my list of people to seek internships/employment with in the future.

Again and again, the recruiters told us that while CU Boulder has an Aerospace Engineering department and Mines does not, they would much rather hire a Mechanical or Electrical Engineer from Mines than the Aerospace Engineer from CU. Again and again, we were told that they didn't care if you had a 4.0 (though below a 3.0 and you're SOL), so long as you had shown leadership and teamwork and enthusiasm. Again and again, we were told that we should start networking early, so that when we are ready to graduate the hiring managers already know who we are.

And I thought: yeah, I've got a pretty good chance. I'm at Mines. I'm the founding president of a campus organization, involved with another that has ties to a national professional organization, and I am extremely excited not only by space, but by pretty much everything I do. And I've still got a few years left. So I decided I should ask a question, put myself out there, make sure they at least notice that I am there. In retrospect, what I asked was probably a very good question, indeed.

I was, in fact, the first student to volunteer a question, which looks good enough on its own. What I asked was simple: I am majoring in Engineering Physics. This is not strictly an engineering degree; it's a BS instead of a BE. As a result, it is sometimes hard to find job listings at companies like those present today. What kind of opportunities did they each have for someone in my program?

This made some of them a little uncomfortable, I fear. Several of them told me, either then or later, that they loved Engineering Physics majors, we were better qualified than engineers from other schools and more able to think abstractly about a problem than many engineers. One of the ULA reps told me that he thought it was a mistake that they had not opened their internships to physics majors this year, and he hopes that is corrected in the future. A guy from the space research center on our campus told me that he thinks engineering physics people are his best employees.

But the crowning glory was the rep from Lockheed Martin. She, again, was a little uncomfortable, because not only did she feel that there were plenty of opportunities for those in my major, she also did not know any of them off the top of her head. So she gave me her card and asked me to contact her; she would ask one of the hiring managers what I might look for and what I could do to stand out as an applicant. She asked whether I had applied for any of the internships this year, even, as they do hire as young as freshmen. I told her no, but that I would likely be looking next summer.

Before the ULA has an info session next week, I believe I will attempt to create a resume to give to them.