Several student organizations within Rawls College traveled to cities throughout Texas to visit companies and learn about future career opportunities.
This semester four separate industry trips were organized by three student organizations and the Rawls Career Management Center (CMC) in an effort to connect students with great companies throughout Texas. As an incentive for being actively involved in their respective student organizations, students were able to meet with industry leaders to learn more about potential careers in various industries related to their major.
Student organizations who participated in industry trips included the Rawls Graduate Association (RGA), the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) and the Finance Association (FA). Select students from each organization attended the tours alongside the organization's faculty advisor and a representative from the Rawls CMC.
When planning the event, the Rawls CMC reached out to alumni and recruiters to create connections with potential host companies. During the visits, companies planned an array of activities for the students which often included tours of their facilities, answering questions during employer panels, networking time with alumni, and overviews of company culture and available internship/full-time opportunities.
Industry tours commenced with RGA traveling to Dallas Sept. 11 – 13. During the trip, 15 graduate students visited employers looking to hire an assortment of business majors. Students visited Stryker, Baylor Scott & White Health, Crossmark, Freeman Company, Trend Micro and Amazon.
Following RGA's trip, 13 Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) students traveled to Dallas Sept. 24 – 27. Students visited HMS, Dynata, Intuit, Cognizant and Southwest Airlines.
"As someone who is beginning to explore post-graduation work opportunities, the corporate trip was an extremely valuable experience," said MSDS student, Matt Patch. "I was impressed by the time and attention we received from companies gracious enough to host us, and the opportunities that exist within each of these organizations."
AITP, a student organization primarily for IT majors, traveled to Austin and San Antonio with 14 members Oct. 9 – 11. While in Austin, students visited Home Depot, Whole Foods, and Samsung. In San Antonio, students visited USAA, iHeartMedia and Sirius Computer Solutions.
"Each company showed the best parts of the industry by not simply being a by the books presentation but by instead engaging the students in a genuinely meaningful way," said Savier Barraza, a senior IT major and director of professional outreach for AITP. "As students, we could relate and feel the passion behind the individuals speaking to us and understood why each member truly believes in their company as much as they do."
Members of FA, a student organization for finance majors, traveled to Dallas Oct. 16-18. During the trip, 15 finance students visited CBRE, Charles Schwab, Citi, Comerica Bank, PlainsCapital Bank, Ryan, Sabre and Whitley Penn.
"The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is full of alumni who want to hire Texas Tech students right now," said senior finance major Spencer Wood. "The Finance Association trip puts you right in front of these employers and provides direct contact with multiple employers that you otherwise might not get on your own."
RGA, AITP and FA are all planning additional industry trips for the spring semester. Barraza encourages students who are interested in attending a trip to get involved with a student organization.
"Joining student organizations is extremely valuable. Not only does it offer the ability to network with a diverse number of individuals with a variety of passions, beliefs, and backgrounds, but it gives an individual the ability to learn about themselves from a new perspective," said Barraza. "From my experience, organizations give you the ability to meet passionate/determined individuals that strive for success equal to or more than you, and as a direct result these individuals can push you to become more successful than you initially believed you could be."
Learn more about getting involved in student organizations at Rawls College.