The Center for Career Engagement and Internships hosted a business and technology exposition event on the Quad this past Monday, September 17th, for students of all kinds to start building their future. This event was chock-full of internship and career opportunities for the aspiring accountants, entrepreneurs, and software developers.
The event started at noon. At this time, there was a small crowd of men and women clad in business casual attire, whom gathered around the ring of tables that were previously set up. This scene took place on the patch of green lawn closest to the Rosenthal library.
When I walked by about an hour into the event, I discovered that the crowd of roughly fifty people from earlier had grown to a size of what looked like approximately two hundred individuals. Many of those attending the event came well prepared. These people wore fine suits and they walked around with their resumes in hand. Others (like myself) came less prepared wearing what one normally might wear on any school day. For both parties in attendance, there were plenty of benefits to reap from the event.
As I walked around, I saw a station manned by a photographer who provided students with free headshots for their LinkedIn profiles. I also saw multiple accounting, tax, and banking firms who were on the lookout for prospective interns. GEICO, Canon, and the Bank of NY Mellon were all present.
BDO, an international network of public accounting, tax, consulting, and business advisory firms offered information about a summer leadership. One brochure even offered “an inside look into life at a global accounting organization…”
I spoke with Ismaul Koyla, a licensed real estate salesman who was on the lookout for college students and graduates who were qualified to work for his firm, New York Real Estate Experts. I also spoke with COOP, who was offering college grads an opportunity to join a sixteen-week long training course in digital marketing and data analytics. They cited a statistic stating how “four in five alumni are working full-time” and how they receive salaries of “$45k in year one, 60k in year two (alumni average).” This group also offered help in securing interviews with media agencies and tech companies.
There were also plenty of opportunities for prospective software engineers as well. I spoke with a representative of C4Q, who informed me how his organization offered “a ten-month training program in software development that promises its disciples the necessary skills to enter the tech industry.” The main eligibility requirements for this program were that those interested must be 18 or older and that they have a specifically small income. A similar group called Revature offered a twelve-week immersive coding program with mentorship. Those with a more developed understanding of computer science found internship opportunities through CUNY Technology Internships.
The career opportunities offered at the Business and Technology Expo were seemingly innumerable–even representatives of the armed forces were there! They advertised how military service and its associated responsibilities can prepare individuals for almost any career in any industry. I believe I can speak for all of those who visited the event when I say there was truly something for everyone.
