Two nights of career exploration lead to more certain futures

Above: Career Exploration Night for First Year Students, a signature career event at Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, brings together industry professionals — who are often Fulton Schools alumni — and first-year and transfer students to talk about engineering career paths. Photographer: Jessica Hochreiter/ASU

Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering helps students to begin exploring careers in engineering and technology and connecting with professionals as early as their first few months at the university.

Helping students develop an identity as an engineer or technical professional early in college life is key to their future academic and professional success, according to retention research. With the help of industry professionals, Career Exploration Night aims to do that in an engaging and hands-on environment. Through these events and activities, students learn how society benefits from technical and engineering professionals working to solve problems every day in real-time and in their own words.

Each fall semester, Career Exploration Night gives new students the opportunity to explore engineering careers and talk with alumni and industry professionals about what they should do during their time at ASU to get the careers they want and what day-to-day projects in those careers may entail.

Industries represented range from aerospace and flight to biomedical engineering, and from manufacturing, construction, industrial and civil engineering to environmental and resource management.

In October 2016, more than 2,300 Fulton Schools freshmen and transfer students attended Career Exploration Night on both the Tempe and Polytechnic campuses. More than 55 percent of industry professionals who attended were Fulton Schools alumni.

Fulton Schools alumni can help current students see how their education can be used to their advantage in industry jobs.

Students spoke with professionals who shared their major as well as those who obtained degrees in other majors to get a full understanding of the industries and careers open to them.

In these interactions, students say they gained knowledge about why and how to get involved in student organizations, research projects, internships, volunteer experience and professional networking.

The event also reinforced the valuable services the Fulton Schools Career Center and its peer career coaches have to offer new students exploring their engineering and technology futures.