Student Career Development: Session I
Program Organizers: Jaime George, Missouri University of Science and Technology; David Shahin, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Monday 2:00 PM
October 17, 2011
Room: C213
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center
Session Chair: Kevin Strong, University of Washington
2:00 PM Invited
Leadership Skills for Engineering Graduates: Doreen Edwards1; 1Alfred University
Everyone knows that you need a solid foundation of technical knowledge to succeed as a scientist or engineer. However, it's your mastery of the "soft skills" that can distinguish you from the pack. Leadership, which is sometimes defined as influencing people to achieve a common goal, is a skill that will benefit even the most recent graduates. This talk will discuss theories and styles of leadership in the context of applying this knowledge to your first job.
2:20 PM
Transitioning from Student to Professional: Seth Berbano1; 1The Pennsylvania State University
After sixteen or more years of school, how do you transition from student to professional? One’s undergraduate years are a crucial time to prepare for this transition. This talk will provide an overview of how to make the most out of your undergraduate years. Helpful and concise suggestions will be given about professional development: networking, membership in professional organizations, and a "must bring" list for professional travel. In addition, for those interested in graduate school, this talk will share information about GRE preparation, breaking personal statement writer's block, and a timeline for successfully completing applications.
2:40 PM Invited
The Importance of Self and Global Awareness in Professional Development: Robert Schwartz1; 1Missouri University of Science and Technology
Employers as well as agencies such as ABET that accredit engineering programs have high expectations regarding the self and global awareness of today’s graduates. Individuals with high self awareness have an accurate picture of their strengths, weaknesses and limitations. This positions them for further personal and professional growth, as well as career advancement. Such individuals are highly sought after by companies, since they have great potential to serve the company well into its future. Global awareness, i.e., an understanding of business and cultural issues, is also expected and can contribute to career progress. In this presentation, background regarding these key competencies will be reviewed and strategies to benchmark one’s self and global awareness will be explored. Following this, a variety of approaches to enhance self and global awareness will be discussed, so attendees can develop definitive ideas for approaches they may use to build their own self and global awareness.
3:00 PM Invited
Life as a Professor – The Greatest Job in the World: Wayne Huebner1; 1Missouri University of Science and Technology
Helping students achieve their dreams is perhaps the most rewarding way to spend a career. It’s ironic that the path to earn such a position, and the ability to keep it by making tenure, is full of potholes that are often unrelated to student success. In this brief presentation I’ll attempt to give you a 25 year perspective on life in academia, and how the evolving technological and fiscal environments are changing the shape of the professorial life. Becoming a tenured professor is all about understanding yourself in terms of the balance you seek between your personal and professional life, and then choosing an institution that matches those expectations. I’ll also provide recommendations on what you can be doing while an undergraduate and graduate student to position yourself for such a career.
3:20 PM Break
3:40 PM
Career Opportunities in the Forging Industry: Carola Sekreter1; 1Forging Industry Association
The presentation will explain what a forging is, what materials are forged and where forgings are used - from medical to wind energy applications. To make a forging, there are several critical steps involved, performed by many different individuals of which each and everyone has different capabilities and interests. The presentation will outline how many different careers can be found in the forging industry - from sales professional, for the social networker that enjoys traveling to the manufacturing engineer that enjoys the hands-on working on manufacturing equipment. The different career opportunities and company types will be outlined.
4:00 PM Student
Career Panel Discussion: Jaime George1; Dan Buck2; 1Missouri University of Science and Technology; 2University of Washington
Join the PCSA and an panel of invited young professionals to get your career-related questions answered.