UT Computer Science sophomore Rohit Pattanaik stood in line Thursday September 18 with his resume in hand.  After spending two years immersed into computer science coursework he was ready to find an internship that would put these skills into action. 

“It’s definitely a different experience since this is my first career fair,” Pattanaik said. “I’m nervous but I know it’s necessary to do this to get experience to break into the industry.”

In conjunction with the College of Natural Science’s fall semester Career Expo, the Department of Computer Science holds a brunch for Friends of Computer Science (FoCS) partners and top UTCS students.  The brunch provides a chance for students to network with these partners while learning about companies in an industry that is experiencing large growth.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 45% increase in employment opportunities for computer science related occupations between 2008 and 2018.  This increase is evident on the UT campus as big companies continue to visit with the intention of recruiting the next generation of computer science minds.

At this year’s event companies like Google, Microsoft, Boeing, Dropbox and IBM were just a few of the vendors that were in attendance trying to scout talent from a generation that many employers say is shaping the future of the industry.

“They are very enthusiastic in that they love to hit the ground running and love a challenge,” IBM representative John Romano said of this generation of CS students. “They sell for their generation in that they like to do their work and directly witness its effect. They are also as diverse as they come and that really adds new perspectives.”

UT alum and Microsoft Software Engineer Carine Iskander says that as technology changes more opportunity is afforded to students in terms of being hired in computer science industries.

“It’s a growing industry and the more people we can get into it, the more we can get out of it,” Iskander said. “There’s a constant need for fresh blood, including new graduates, women and minorities. Recruiting from places like UT is a great way to get that.”