Technical Career Fair - Feb. 2019

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Approximately 1,000 Chico State students descended on the BMU this past Thursday for the Engineering Technical Career Fair, where they were able to see with more than 70 different companies, who hail from a wide range of locales.

Paul Villegas, Chico STEM Connections Collaborative Director, "We have a lot of folks that will come up from the Bay Area, Southern California, some of the companies come out of state to hire our students. Really heavy, especially in the civil and construction, but also there's opportunities for mechanicals, electricals, computer science."

Many of the companies, like Sierra Mountain Construction, based out of Sonora, have now come to this event multiple times, and the reason they keep returning is simple.

Eddie Berberich, Sierra Mountain Construction Lead Recruiter, "It's just been a great place, a great resource, that we've been able to find amazing students that work hard, and they've done really well with internships that have led to full-time positions."

Exhibit A is Chico State Junior, Javier Tavera. Sierra Mountain Construction met him at the event back when he was just a Freshman. They were so impressed with him that they ended up hiring Tavera to work part time for the company as a brand ambassador, while he's still in school. Once he he graduates, a full-time job is waiting for him.

Tavera, "I love this company. I have been working with them and I just feel like I'm connected, I'm in the right spot."

Along with hunting for jobs, students can also try and land internships. Mechanical Engineering Major Kristen Nash has already interned for Sierra Pacific Industries, located just 60 miles north of Chico in Anderson, and Volvo Trucks USA, based way out in North Carolina. She says the career fair is an excellent opportunity for students looking to take that next step.

Nash, "It's a really good way to socialize, if you've never really had too much experience talking to big or small companies. It gives you great experience to see what they're looking for, and what you can probably learn about yourself. They can tell you a lot about yourself, what you maybe can change, improve on, and what you're doing good at."

And just because you don't have a ton of experience outside of the classroom, doesn't mean companies won't be interested. Take OMRON Adept Technologies as and example. They're fare more concerned with what you can do, than with what you've already done.

Aaron Heagerty, OMRON Application Development Engineer, "Basically we're looking for people, not necessarily with experience, but that can learn, can take on new challenges, and really bring their creative mind that they get here at Chico, and their experience working in groups and troubleshooting problems, to OMRON Adept."

In all the career fair went down as a success for both companies and students alike. If you missed out and want to join in on the fun, the biannual event will return during the fall semester.

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