The message from last week's Career Fairs is that Computer Science and Computer Engineering graduates and internees will continue to find extremely high demand for their talents, with employers offering impressive salaries and benefits.
Opportunities abound not only in the computing industry itself such as Microsoft, Cerner, and Epic Systems, but also in industries that incorporate embedded systems in their products such as Garmin, John Deere, and Case New-Holland, and in a host of industries that depend on in-house development of software for their own needs such as Union Pacific, Gallup, and Sandhills Publishing.
Tuesday was the big day for Engineering interests, which was intended for both Computer Science and Computer Engineering. However, I wish to bring to your attention three organizations that only participated on Wednesday, that I believe hold promise for providing you the most memorable, meaningful, rewarding, and life transforming experiences available. Pursuing these opportunities could delay your entry into the high salary, high profile industry jobs, but these are virtually guaranteed to still be there for you later, if they remain your goal. It is only upon
graduation that you will likely have the flexibility to take a year or two with one of these or similar organizations.
The three organizations I am referring to are Admissions Possible (a program of AmeriCorps), Teach for America, and the Peace Corps. Through Admissions Possible you can help low-income students qualify for college by tutoring for SAT/ACT exams, guidance in the admission process, and more. They are now expanding to the Omaha area. Check them out at http://www.AdmissionPossible.org. Teach for America, with a nationwide presence and also part of AmeriCorps, prepares you to teach in low-income communities, going above and beyond traditional expectations to help students achieve high results. Look for them at http://www.teachforamerica.org, and contact Amy Schreiber at amy.schreiber@teachforamerica.org. The Peace Corps has had a world-wide impact for many years, meeting numerous needs in places you may never otherwise visit. Find them at http://www.peacecorps.org.
Each of these organizations would love to have Computer Science and Computer Engineering graduates. So please take some time to consider what your future might look like. Why are you in computing? Is it only the dollars and job assurance? Are you excited enough about the technical aspects of computers and programming to share your knowledge with others who may otherwise never have the chance? And imagine the feeling when you realize that you, through your talents, have made this world a better place.
Thanks for reading,
Chuck R