For many students, receiving job offers is one of the most exciting moments of their college careers, cementing their post-graduation plans and proving the late-night study sessions and group projects were all worth it. While job offers are usually extended to senior students, computer science juniors (yes, juniors!) Vilayvan McGann and Andrew Thomas accepted full-time post-graduation positions after excelling in their summer internships.

For Thomas, it all started at the Fall 2019 Career Fair when he spoke to his soon-to-be mentor at the FIS booth. FIS is a provider of technology solutions for merchants, banks and capital-market firms.

“We had a great discussion on the future of FinTech (financial technology), and that led to interviews with a couple of my future team members over the phone. After a final round in-person, I landed the internship!” said Thomas.  

Following the challenging and eventful 10-week summer internship, Thomas was extended an offer to join the FIS team full time. He will serve as the technologist engineer and participate in the company’s Associate Development Program (ADP), a two-year rotation program for recent graduates.

After a software engineering internship with Publitek Inc., an e-commerce company, McGann was extended an offer to continue the internship throughout the school year and to join the company full-time as a software engineer after graduation.

“During my internship, I am fortunate enough to have hands-on experience with a diverse range of projects that include full-stack web development to AI development. Since working at Publitek, all that I have learned from MSOE has been put into practice within my projects,” said McGann.

MSOE’s fast-paced curriculum gave McGann and Thomas the knowledge and skillsets they needed to wow their employers during their internships and create positive relationships that encouraged the companies to extend full-time offers to the juniors.

“The benefits of the rigor of MSOE’s programs really cannot be understated,” said Thomas. “While the intensity of the course work may stress you out at the time, there’s no doubt in my mind that it set me up for success in the workplace. I had plenty of classroom experience to back me up in my day-to-day activities.”

For students hoping to transform internships into full-time jobs, McGann emphasized the importance of engaging with supervisors and coworkers to demonstrate your dedication, interest and excitement to learn and excel.

“For students trying to get a job at their current internships, be sure to show your employer that you are willing to learn by asking questions when you are stuck or unsure about the task that was presented,” said McGann. “That was one of the main reasons my employer wanted to keep me on after graduating, I was told that most interns try to figure everything out on their own and waste time when the other software engineers would be more than happy to help you.”

Thomas recommended attending MSOE’s career fairs to meet with employers, network and learn about job and internship opportunities.

“No matter your year or prior experience, go and check out the career fairs. Everyone starts somewhere, and the worst-case scenario is you gain valuable experience talking and interviewing with employers. Best-case scenario is you land a job or internship!”

Current MSOE students and alumni may visit Career Services for help with their job hunts, resumes, interview and networking skills, career fair prep, LinkedIn and Handshake profiles, graduate school applications and more.