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Waiting patiently: 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ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.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.”


Dhwani Khatter
Dhwani Khatter (CompSci’20) is playing the waiting game.

In March, before the world turned upside down, Khatter got a job offer in Georgia in her chosen field, cybersecurity. Unfortunately, before she could even start packing, the company reversed course and terminated the position because of the pandemic.

She moved forward, accepting a cybersecurity position with a different company, this time in Dallas. But the uncertainty didn’t stop there. All summer, Khatter grappled with an ever-changing start date for her new job. First, it was the end of June. Then the end of July. Then early August. 

Finally, the company decided she could start the new job in the middle of August, virtually. By the time she got the news that her job was going remote, Khatter had already signed a lease and moved from Colorado to Dallas.

Though the pandemic made the last few months incredibly stressful, Khatter is keeping a positive attitude about the situation. One silver lining? She’s grateful for the extra time she spent with her parents because of the pandemic.

“You just have to adjust,” she said.