The ballrooms at the Hill Student Center were packed with engineers on Wednesday. More than 80 employer partners set up booths where they provided information about their companies and talked to UAB students about potential job opportunities.
The Career Fair, held twice per year with a spring-semester and fall-semester event, has grown steadily in recent years, maxing out the available on-campus space for the event and necessitating the “two-a-day” morning and afternoon sessions. This growth, according to Engineering Career Services Director Neil Adams, is evidence of the high demand for the types of students produced by the School of Engineering.
“This is such a valuable opportunity for our students to meet with potential employers from a wide variety of fields,” Adams said. “Many of these employers come to other events on campus throughout the year, but this career fair is the one time each semester when so many are accessible in one place. It’s a great opportunity for students to make in-depth connections or just to collect information about the variety of opportunities that are out there.”
In years past, UAB Engineering Career Fairs have led to careers for students after graduation—a fact that was evident by a large number of former UAB students who were there recruiting for their companies. But Adams says the Career Fair is not just a showcase for future careers. Many of the employers on Wednesday were scouting for immediate help.
“There will always be a demand for engineering graduates, but more and more companies are relying on interns and student co-ops to provide vital assistance in day-to-day operations,” Adams said. “The opportunity to gain on-the-job experience is a key component of the undergraduate engineering experience at UAB.”