Faculty typically have many contacts in industry related to their research topics. And it is good for the department as a whole to get our graduates into good positions with the best companies. So when the time comes that you are looking for a job, it is well worth asking your professors if they know of any suitable opportunities.
Even before graduating to a permanent job, you might have an internship to work at a company temporarily, for instance during the summer after your first year. Again, faculty are frequently in touch with industry colleagues arranging such placements. Although internships are more often taken by students in the Ph.D. program, it is worth asking.
If you are an international student, however, you will want to consider the impact of working on your visa restrictions. See the FAQ on Can I do CPT as part of my MS program?.
Of course, a faculty member who hooks you up with one of their contacts will have to stand by their recommendation of you. So it makes sense to make sure that your professors know just how good you are before asking them for help of this kind. Most likely, they will be called on to give an informal appraisal of your strengths and abilities.
Departmental Academic Co-ordinator Azlyn Smith maintains a list of job announcments received by the department.
Previous: 2.5 How do the 'projects classes' (ELEN E4998 etc.) work? - Next: 2.7 How do I get into the Doctoral program?
Back to Columbia MSEE FAQ index
Generated by build-faq-index on Wed Sep 12 17:45:24 EDT 2007