Throughout my life, I’ve been to many museums and exhibits. I’ve spent hours reading descriptions and plaques about what happened on a certain spot or on a certain date. My ability to remember these events is enhanced with some sort of visual que or a hands-on exhibit. When I take my family to a Science Museum or a Children’s museum, I’m usually “that guy” who is taking the time to press every button and try every experiment. Usually, my kids need to grab me by the hand and drag me out before we get locked in at the end of the day!
The goal with this Fall’s series of Industry Days on Michigan Tech’s campus is to help our students learn what kind of career opportunities they could have. These experiences will be a combination of hands-on learning and getting viewpoints from a variety of industry personnel. Throughout the planning and development process, we keep asking the question: “Does that sound like something fun that I would want to do?”
Talking to a complete stranger is a skill that must be learned. By creating fun, interactive activities, students experience networking by having a shared experience to discuss with recruiters. The ability to network is one that students find hardest to learn and difficult to practice.
Another, perhaps unintended, benefit of this Fall’s “Industry Days” is giving students a safe place to learn yet another skill for their Career search and their lifelong learning.