Unique job fair among students' takeaways from IT conference

Six Pennsylvania College of Technology students and an information technology instructor attended NAViGATE 2023, held earlier this semester in Virginia. The annual event is organized by COMMON, the world’s largest association of IT professionals focused on IBM and related technologies.

"The students and I were able to attend many sessions from a variety of IT professionals that covered topics such as Programming, Database Security, DevOps, Virtualization, IT Strategy and Professional Communication," said Rick R. Crossen, an information technology instructor at Penn College. "The event also had a job fair where many of the students were approached with potential employment opportunities or, at minimum, networking opportunities to meet professionals in the industry."

Accompanying Crossen on the four-day trip to Virginia Beach were:

Information assurance & cyber security – Corey J. Fowler II, Windsor; and Bruce R. Haines, Madison Township.

Network administration & engineering technology – Wendy Tapia Ayllon, Kennett Square (who also attended last year's conference in St. Louis); Jacob T. Parkes, Osceola Mills; and Jared S. Patten, South Abington Township.

Software development & information management – Jade M. Stubblefield, Mainesburg.

"One new event held this year for the students specifically was a ‘reverse job fair’ where the students were approached by potential employers instead of the students approaching them. This new event was an huge success and I had great feedback from the students," Crossen added. "They used this opportunity to expand upon their interview skills and potentially get a job offer in the process!"

Following are testimonials from four of the students:

• "I had a wonderful experience during my time at COMMON. I gained a wealth of knowledge, and everyone was exceptionally welcoming and eager to share valuable insights on how to kick-start my career successfully. From my perspective, the highlight of the event was the reverse job fair, where I had the opportunity to interact with numerous fascinating individuals and put my self-marketing skills to the test. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I hope to have the chance to participate in it again in the future." – Jacob T. Parkes
   
• "My time at the COMMON conference allowed me to begin to network with prospective employers and learn about industry software that I might encounter in my career." – Corey J. Fowler II
   
• "I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for the 2023 conference at Virginia Beach. Not only did I learn a lot from these three days, but the conference gave all of us students some awesome opportunities to network with the professionals in the IBM world. Many of the sessions I attended where either completely new concepts to me or a rich refresh in an area that I already know and love. I particularly enjoyed the sessions on security and teamwork. Thank you to all the leaders that made this event possible! And thank you for providing for us the wonderful opportunity to experience this IT marvel." – Bruce R. Haines
   
• "I am greatly thankful for being able to attend a NAViGATE conference for the second time. I enjoyed being able to see the differences between each conference and how much time and effort is put into each. My highlight of this trip was the job fair; it pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible, and it allowed me to talk to different individuals and connect with them. Being able to go out of my comfort zone provided me with a more enjoyable experience and, with the interactions with different people, was not only inspiring but also a way to provide me with knowledge and personal growth. I definitely encourage more people to attend these conferences since they can be knowledgeable and also fun. I, for one, am very thankful for the experience and I look forward to attending future IBM conferences." – Wendy Tapia Ayllon