How Purdue Helped Me Gain Real World Experience

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As I’m sure you have read from our many posts about Internships, Co-ops, and other experiences, it’s pretty clear how well Purdue students are able to gain real world experience in between their journey to a degree. I’m one of those individuals who has been blessed to have a few opportunities in industry from Purdue career fairs. As a Biomedical Engineering student, I have always been interested in the medical industry and helping people. I’ve written previously about my three term co-op with Zimmer Biomet where I was able to learn about the development of orthopedic implants and instruments. After those three semesters, I had one final opportunity to gain more experience in industry before graduation. That’s why last fall I prepped for and attended the Industrial Roundtable (IR).

Preparing for IR involved perfecting my resume, thinking about an elevator pitch, researching companies, and applying for internships online before I went to the booths. On the days of IR, I spoke with many companies, and after having a three term co-op on my resume, was able to land a few interviews. After this process, I was given the opportunity to join Catalent’s internship program and learn about a new industry, pharmaceuticals. In my experience, I was able to gain new skills and learn about another potential industry for my major. Had I not been exposed to this opportunity through Purdue’s career fair, I may have never decided to try out the pharmaceutical industry. The experience I gained from Catalent has gone a long way towards developing me into a more well-rounded and hard working person and has been especially helpful this year as I look for full time jobs.

This years IR has already come to a close, and I have already been able to see how the opportunities provided to me in the past have helped me reach my career goals for the future. Going to IR for the past four years has not only made me more prepared to talk to recruiters and interview for full time jobs, it has also opened new doors for me. When deciding between colleges in high school, I would have been even more comforted choosing Purdue had I known the career opportunities for the future it could provide me with.  Boiler Up!

-        -  Marisa Hughes, BME
WE Link Leadership Team

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Purdue Women in Engineering

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