Connecting and networking virtually: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era
The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into the internship and job plans of many 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ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.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.”
Chehadi, now a third-year student in electrical and computer engineering with a minor in computer science at , was supposed to participate in an in-person software engineering internship at Workiva in downtown Denver.
Instead, the cloud computing company shipped a computer to his house and asked him to complete his data services internship remotely. This summer’s internship has been unlike any other Chehadi has experienced, but so far, so good.
One aspect of office life he misses: Casual interactions with coworkers. Now, he’s learning how to connect with people over Slack and on virtual video meetings. It’s different, but people are people, whether you’re rolling over to their desk in your office chair or chatting over Zoom from your separate home offices.
And since many software engineering jobs can be done remotely these days, the internship is giving Chehadi an opportunity to consider whether a fully remote job is something he’s interested in after graduation.
“I believe adaptability is more important than ever as we are in the midst of navigating this period of uncertainty,” he says.