Engineering Science Students Job Shadow Alumni

by Nicole Adoranti
Engineering Science Undergraduate Student Counsellor (Years 1 & 2)

The Engineering Science program encourages students to develop their leadership skills. However, a group of First Year EngSci’s happily became followers this past Reading Week while job shadowing alumni of the program in the workplace as part of the Engineering Science Reading Week Mentorship Program.
 
Many First Year students are unsure of the direction they’re headed and seek advice about which Major to choose and what opportunities await them after graduation. Adding to those uncertainties are the academic rigours and challenges of the Engineering Science program itself. The Reading Week Mentorship Program was developed as an avenue to aid First Year EngSci students in identifying possible opportunities/careers.  The experience gave participants a sense of the daily activities of working engineers and provided a connection between the foundational education of Engineering Science with the profession of engineering.
 
Thirteen First Year students were selected and matched with Engineering Science alumni for either a half- or full-day of job shadowing, networking and informational interviewing. Students' academic and career interests were taken into consideration during the matching process. An orientation session and networking seminar prepared students for their experience, giving them tools for interacting with alumni and tips on workplace etiquette.
 
One First Year student mentions, “I had an amazing day today with my mentor in the department of chemistry experimenting with nano-particles. My mentor was great, I met a lot of cool people, did neat experiments, read research papers, and really got a feel for what it is like to be a researcher." A refreshing outcome of the program was students’ ability to widen their scope of opportunities after in the future. “The best part of my job shadowing experience was learning my mentor's path after EngSci. I learned that there are many other possibilities after EngSci and that I have the freedom to change my future goals even after picking a Major."
 
Dedicated alumni also benefitted from the mentorship by reflecting on their career development process while extending their knowledge to students. One alumnus remarked, "I'd encourage making the mentorship relationship ongoing; I think that mentors can offer the most through repeated consultation over the mentee's undergraduate career."
 
For more information, please contact Nicole Adoranti at nsci1_2@ecf.utoronto.ca.

Students and alumni attend a post-shadowing ‘Mix and Mingle’
From left to right, Priya A., Teddy L, Aaron P. (alum), Alex H., Yasir M. and Jonathan Y.

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