POST COLLEGE – Walk Out of College and Into a Job
Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls and Portland
Normally, if you learned a university program had graduated only two students, you wouldn’t consider it a good sign. Unless, of course, it’s because the other students left early to take jobs. That’s what happened after the Oregon Institute of Technology introduced its renewable energy engineering program at the Portland campus in 2005. Ten students started the program, two have since graduated, four left for jobs, and another two are expected to graduate this year. The program is the first such degree offered in North America, and employers are taking notice. Junior April Placencia says students receive e-mail notices about internships at least twice a month from the likes of PGE, Solar Oregon, Energy Trust, and LEED building design teams. Knowing about job openings and internships is one thing, but, Placencia says, having professors who can give you the inside scoop is what really makes the difference: “I’ve taken classes from adjunct professors who work for Intel and Jacobs Engineering. These instructors are able to offer an insider’s view of what questions will come up in an interview and what skills and information employers will expect us to know.” Evidence that the OIT program is good for the future of both its students and our planet.
Oregon State University
Corvallis
Oregon’s logging industry may be on the wane, but forest management is still very much in vogue, especially in our eco-aware city. Oregon State’s 102-year-old forestry department is one of only three in the country to offer an accredited degree in forest engineering, giving program graduates an edge when it comes to landing a job. Students here aren’t just passive learners, either: The program requires six months of employment (not just a measly unpaid internship). Fortunately, since the school manages about 14,000 acres of forest located, literally, in its backyard, work isn’t too hard to come by.
Published: December 2008
