The few days we have for career fair are a crucial time for students. Nowhere else in the UP can you find this many companies cramped into a seemingly tiny gymnasium. The trouble these companies are willing to go through to hire Michigan Tech students is astounding. What does this tell us? It tells us that Michigan Tech students are definitely in demand.
While career fair is something every student should experience, the efficacy of career fair varies from student to student. Some may utilize career fair to the fullest extent while others not so much. Of course, preparation is half the battle. If a student has an outstanding resume and great interview skills, does that mean said student will get a job? Well, we can’t say for certain, but the odds of the student getting a job are definitely much higher than other students who don’t have as great of a resume or aren’t as prepared.
Hard work. Hard work definitely pays off except not always. I have been at Michigan Tech for five semesters now. Of those five semesters, I had the opportunity to attend four career fairs. The first one I attended as a freshman. Not having much experience with career fair or with company recruitments in general, I took this as a learning opportunity and was not expecting to get an internship. It was a great experience nonetheless. I learned many things. As I gained more experience in my field and with a more polished resume, I thought I was surely going to get an internship during the succeeding career fairs. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to. I told myself it was because I was not good enough and that I needed to try harder next time.
This was my line of reasoning until I met my orientation team member, roommate and friend, Bobby (Name was changed to keep identity anonymous). Bobby was one of those overachieving students who excelled at almost anything academic related. He was somehow able to breeze through Physics 2 calling it “easy.” Now, I know for a fact that many students, myself included, struggle to understand the concepts presented in Physics 2 due to its intangible nature. I’ve never met anyone with math skills as sharp as Bobby’s. One would think that with a near 4.0 GPA, Bobby would have no problem getting an internship. Unfortunately, the opposite is true.
Now, the thing I failed to mention earlier is that Bobby and I do not originate from the U.S. and are, what you would call, “international students.” While it is true that many factors can affect the decision process of recruiters, I know for a fact that a non-international student with Bobby’s credentials could easily get an internship. What I’m trying to point out here is that international students make the effort of leaving the comfort of home for a better education. They invest huge amounts of money in their education only to have the scales tipped against their favor. What good does it do to have a better education if it can’t be coupled with experience? After all, experience is far greater than potential.
