<p>As we’re getting close to the end of the semester, I was wondering if there are any Bama engineering graduates who are going out into the workforce.</p>
<p>If you are, how did you get your job?</p>
<p>Do any engineering companies recruit at Bama’s campus?</p>
<p>Do you have to do a co-op/internship to get a job, or is it possible to land something through a job fair on campus?</p>
<p>I know many of the better known engineering schools, like Auburn or Clemson, are recruited heavily by nationally known engineering companies, but didn’t know if that was the case with Bama, as it is building its engineering reputation.</p>
<p>Is there a link someone can provide that would list what companies generally recruit at Bama?</p>
<p>Of course, Mercedes Benz and other car companies in the state are obvious, but I was wondering if there were other companies that have a strong connection with Alabama.</p>
<p>I know that national companies are recruiting at Bama.</p>
<p>However, I don’t think there are any graduating engineering seniors (or their parents) who are posting on CC. Many here have students who are only in their 1st or 2nd year at Bama.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the state is home to Cummings Research Park…the 2nd largest research park in the nation…so lots of high tech companies are here…so, of course, they recruit.</p>
<p>Just talked to H, he knows of some Bama eng’g grads who will start at his aerospace company after graduation. His company has a few different divisions here, so there are likely other Bama new-hires that he doesn’t know about.</p>
<p>Yes, many companies recruit at UA. So many that there is a separate career fair for science and engineering majors. Companies that good relationships with UA that I know of: Eastman Chemical, ExxonMobile, Chevron, Halliburton, Nucor. (I know there are more, like companies out of Huntsville, but I’ve also been paying attention to companies that hire ChEs, since that was my major.)</p>
<p>I know this link doesn’t have specific companies that recruit UA, but it does show the overall job placement percentage and salary information for last year’s engineering graduates, which may be of interest to you.</p>
<p>How do students find out about the engineering and science job fair? </p>
<p>While my son is not graduating this year, he will have to make use of this for internships and job opportunities, as there is no local industry for him to make connections. We are counting on companies recruiting on campus for his job leads, since we’re out of state and son will have to intern/apply for jobs at states other than our home.</p>
<p>The fall career fairs are in October, and the spring career fairs are in February. They are well-announced in the Crimson White, the weekly student e-mails and the Career Center website (and this forum no doubt).</p>
<p>If your son is interested in working in industry (that is, not interested in a research-related career that requires graduate degrees, or going to professional schools such as medical or law school), I would highly recommend looking at the co-op program. It gives you a full year of job experience before you even graduate from school, not to mention plenty of industry contacts. If you plan correctly from freshman or sophomore year, you can co-op and still graduate in four years.</p>
<p>As Feeno mentioned, the info about job fairs, internship opportunities, etc, are well-advertised via signs/postings around the engineering buildings and emails. I think they also get mentioned on the CoE website. Students can also visit the Engineering dept and inquire if they’re unsure about what is coming up.<br>
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Important: Students who will be upperclassmen in STEM majors next year need to pay attention to any REU offerings (Research Experience for Undergraduates). These are summer experiences on college campuses across the country (including Bama). These experiences provide a stipend, housing, and transportation money. Students can apply to the ones on Bama’s campus or to the ones on ANY college campus. These are federally funded research opps, so open to US citizens to apply for. </p>
<p>m2ck - thanks so much for the links. I was just mentioning to my son the e-mail about the summer research - he said he wasn’t looking into it because it would require him staying in Alabama and figured it wouldn’t work. I told him not to eliminate anything without getting details. If it’s something he’s interested - well, we’ll check out the logistics then. We’ll have to make sure we have a checklist for future opportunities. </p>
<p>Always a fabulous source of information - beginning to think you have ESP. :)</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info about the summer research, job fairs, etc. Will be on the lookout for them. Hope we can all keep each other in the loop!</p>
<p>I was just mentioning to my son the e-mail about the summer research - he said he wasn’t looking into it because it would require him staying in Alabama and figured it wouldn’t work. I told him not to eliminate anything without getting details.</p>
<p>These REU’s are offered at many, many campuses across this country…and they provide housing and a stipend (usually about $450-500 per week for 10 weeks) and they provide about $400 for travel costs. A student can apply to other schools’ REU programs. My son applied to other schools’ REU’s because he wanted to “try” another campus for fun. </p>
<p>Frankly, when my son first mentioned these REU programs, I had never heard of them, so I thought that we’d be paying for his housing, etc. I was very surprised to see how well-funded these things are.</p>
<p>I was reading some of the information and just like you I figured this would be an out of pocket expediture. Which given the scholarships he’s already gotten, I just assumed we’d gotten all the “perks” - I’m just constantly overwhelmed with the opportunities open for STEM students.</p>
<p>I graduated this past December and now work for Procter and Gamble in Green Bay (chemical engineering). All those companies that feenotype listed recruit at the career fairs. I attended other career fairs through my involvement with professional student organizations and met contacts that way. I also applied online to companies I had interest in working for during the summer prior to my last semester. Although the P&G site that I work for does not “recruit” at UA, the corporate headquarters in Cincinnati where R&D positions are located does recruit at UA. I interviewed on campus with them but this Green Bay offered me a position first. </p>
<p>Also, make sure you are actively checking the career center website. This is where companies that do recruit at UA will post jobs. Companies that attend the career fairs and those that do not both post their job openings on the site. Some post for on campus interviews and some just post openings that require you email your resume to the contact provided. </p>
<p>Feel free to shoot me a message if you have questions.</p>