The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into the internship and job plans of many CU engineering students and recent graduates. Even so, these steadfast Buffs have been able to overcome all the extra logistical hurdles and uncertainty caused by the novel virus.
ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.
“You shouldn’t have to navigate this alone,” says Ben Weihrauch, senior director of student professional development for the college. “Being persistent and resilient, along with widening your job search targets, will be key in navigating the current hiring market.”
Abigail Fernandes made the best of a bad situation — and then some.
Fernandes, an experienced software engineer, recently completed a CU master’s degree in computer science with a focus on machine learning. In the summer between her first and second years of the program, Fernandes completed an internship at Uber; afterward, the company offered her a full-time position.
With a job offer in hand, she wrapped up her graduate degree and felt confident about her post-graduation plans. Then COVID-19 hit and all of Fernandes’ plans went out the window. Uber rescinded the offer, citing the pandemic. Fernandes tried not to panic, but felt totally blindsided by the decision. As an international student from India, she knew she had to follow the strict rules associated with her visa in order to remain in the United States legally.
The college, however, helped her find a job as a computer science research assistant so that she didn’t have to worry so much about her immigration status while she scrambled to apply for other jobs and prepare for technical interviews.
Within a few weeks, she received four job offers from top tech companies with offices in Boulder, New York City and Seattle. After lots of deliberation, she accepted an offer with Amazon Go in Boulder.
“It worked out better than I could have imagined, in hindsight,” she says.
Looking back, her uncertainty was tempered by the outpouring of support she received from her professional and personal network. After Uber rescinded her offer, she wrote a candid post on LinkedIn and was surprised by how many people reached out to offer help, referrals and anything else she might need.
She also benefited from the mindset that all her hard work would lead to something positive.
“I told myself when it happened that whatever happens is for the best,” she says. “I knew I had to continue to work hard and at no point think about giving up. I’ve had enough experiences to know that. Things haven’t gone my way but eventually, I’ve been very happy where I ended up.”