Internships
key for engineering majors
By Yi-Fang Vicky Lin
On-line Forty-Niner
The
job outlook for the engineering field remains
optimistic despite the high unemployment
rates throughout the nation this year.
Engineering students and faculty members
at Cal State Long Beach believe internship
experience is the key for graduates in terms
of getting their first jobs. Building up
strong engineering skills and experiences
will help students to deal with the economic
downturn in today’s job market.
“I think now the employers are looking more
for skills,” said Robert Wendt, a counselor
at the Career Development Center.
Wendt is encouraging engineering students
to get their internship experiences as early
as possible, and to build up engineering
skills before graduation.
“I think that’s going to make them just
as competitive as the market a year ago,”
Wendt said. “Even if it is a volunteer experience,
get yourself some exposure to the field
you want to go into. I think that is critical.”
Jamil Ahmed, a graduate student in electrical
engineering, is now starting to look for
jobs during his last year at CSULB.
“Internships are the best way to get a job,”
Ahmed said. “It is always beneficial if
you have internship experiences.”
Most companies are looking for trained engineers.
Otherwise, the company will need to spend
a period of time training before the person
is hired.
“Hands-on experience is what most employers
are looking for at the entry-level engineering
positions,” Ahmed said. “Without it, it
is very challenging.”
Another electrical engineering student,
Chih-Lun Liao, agreed. Most companies prefer
at least one year working experience in
terms of hiring, he said.
“There are actually more professional-level
jobs compared to entry-level jobs in the
engineering field,” Liao said.
Overall job opportunities in the engineering
field are strong. However, there has been
a slight decrease in demand, particularly
in computer engineering.
“The market is just getting exaggerated,”
Wendt said. “I’ve seen some drop off on
the computer engineering job market.”
Many professional-level positions are still
open in the computer-engineering field.
Although the unemployment rate is at its
highest level since September 2001, engineering-related
jobs are still some of the highest paying
in the market.
The 2002 data from the National Association
of Colleges and Employers has shown that
the average entry-level salary for computer
engineering jobs fell 4.3 percent, but still
stands at $51,587. The average beginning
salary for electrical engineering is currently
at $50,123, which is a 3.4 percent decrease
from last year.
A slight increase in salary for the civil
engineering field has been seen. The average
beginning salary rose 1.7 percent to $41,317.
A similar rise occurred for electrical engineering,
which has an average entry-level of $51,417,
a 0.7 percent increase from last year.
The average income for engineering jobs
at the professional-levels can reach as
high as $70,000 to $80,000 a year.
“The income is still there, it is still
high,” Wendt said. “But there have been
some changes and some shifts recently in
the actual salary. I think because of 9/11,
and just what is happening economically,
companies are becoming a little conservative.
“Students need to be more active,” Wendt
said. “They need to learn that job and internship
opportunities are found the most successful.
The best way is to network.”
One way to network is to meet people from
the industries through professional organizations,
Wendt said. The upcoming Job Fair is a good
place for students to build networks in
the field of their choice. It is also an
opportunity to meet the employers and find
out the exact requirements and criteria
of the company. This helps students to become
qualified candidates before actually interviewing
for the job.
More than 27 companies are recruiting for
engineering positions at CSULB, including
ALCATEL, Boeing Co., Conexant System Inc.,
INTEL, NEXTEL and other governmental agencies
such as Los Angeles County and the CIA.
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