麻豆区

LEXINGTON, Va., March 6, 2019鈥擳his semester鈥檚 career and internship fair, held Monday in the Hall of Valor, hosted over 60 employers offering a broader array of opportunities than ever before鈥攁ll with the intent of helping shape cadets鈥� future endeavors.

鈥淲e鈥檙e doing things a little differently this semester,鈥� said Lt. Col. Ammad Sheikh, VMI鈥檚 director of career services.  While in the past, the fair centered largely on engineering firms and law enforcement agencies, this week鈥檚 event added new participants to that core group of employers.

The result was a room packed with a larger number and wider spectrum of employers catering to more cadets.

鈥淲e have employers upstairs and downstairs,鈥� said Sheikh. 鈥淲e have increased the number of employers to make sure every major is represented鈥�

Many employers were represented by VMI alumni who chose varied career paths. Kyle Lynch 鈥�06 served in the Marine Corps for over seven years before beginning work for AECOM, a multinational engineering firm. With a large number of cadets on commissioning tracks, there is valuable insight to be gained from hearing about the transition from service to workforce.

鈥淲e鈥檙e exposing them to different opportunities once they鈥檝e [graduated],鈥� he said. Lynch went on to highlight how important these events are for cadets planning shorter careers in the armed forces before returning to the civilian world. 鈥淚 know there a lot of folks that are going to be interested in that.鈥�

Another much younger alumnus, John Mobley 鈥�18 who now works for Kjellstrom and Lee Construction, recalled his own participation in the career fair last year.

鈥�365 days ago, I was on the other side of the table talking to the guy that I鈥檓 standing next to right now,鈥� said Mobley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be back and not be wearing woolies.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 going well. There are lots of new vendors and I鈥檓 learning a lot about new places,鈥� said John Chamberlain 鈥�19, a mechanical engineering major who has already interned with one of the companies at the fair.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking for an internship in the future,鈥� said Nate Kholer 鈥�22 who is interested in software design and development, adding that it was 鈥済ood to get several options鈥� at the fair.

Encouraged to attend by professors and career services staff, hundreds of cadets cycled through the Hall of Valor during the four-hour event.

鈥淚 actually enjoy being forced to go,鈥� said Chamberlain. 鈥淚t made me step out of my comfort zone and learn some new things.鈥�

The career fair is just one resource career services offers in order to start cadets on their career paths early and support them throughout their cadetships.

 鈥淚 always tell cadets, don鈥檛 wait till you鈥檙e a senior to come to a career fair. Come in your sophomore year, let鈥檚 do an internship,鈥� said Sheikh. 鈥淥ur mission is to have every cadet walk away from VMI with a long-term career education plan, because it鈥檚 not about the first job after college.鈥�

-H. Lockwood McLaughlin

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