Two Cal Poly staff members and an alumnus will share their views on alternative careers as a part of the Soup and Substance series today.
The event “Not Your Typical 9-5,” will feature a presentation about career paths followed by a question period, said Michelle Fox, student coordinator for Soup and Substance and social sciences junior.
Many students aren’t aware of the opportunities in their field after graduation, Fox said.
“For an engineer, sometimes they don’t realize there is more out there, like Engineers Without Borders, to help use their skills to put together other opportunities,” she said.
Fox expects around 30 to 40 people to attend and the event will offer warm bowls of vegetarian chili and a baked potato bar.
This is the third Soup and Substance event of winter quarter and seventh of the school year.
Eric Veium, an industrial engineering alumnus, will be one of the speakers. He will talk about his involvement with Transition California. Transition California aims to shape the future through localized food, sustainable energy sources and resilient local economies.
“In the next 10 years, the world we live in will look dramatically different,” he said. “The work I will be talking about and the work I do isn’t about new products but about looking at how we make our communities more resilient.”
Veium also stressed the importance of how many diverse jobs and companies are out there, and how much students can do.
“An attitude at Cal Poly is the jobs you can get are the ones at the career fair,” Veium said.
Jesse Torrey, AmeriCorps coordinator for Cal Poly, will discuss AmeriCorps as another avenue to gain experience and break into a career. Torrey is responsible for recruiting and placing people with local and national nonprofit groups. Through AmeriCorps, students often find their career paths, Torrey said.
“In this economy, it’s difficult to find your dream job right away,” she said. “AmeriCorps is an opportunity to get your feet wet in the real world, you can feel you are making a difference without having to commit long-term to something.”
Charlotte Rinaldi, a career counselor, is the third speaker. She plans to discuss the difference between looking for a job and looking for a way of life.
“I want people to know there’s someone who can help them sift through (finding a job) and find a unique fit, not your typical Craigslist jobs,” she said.
Rinaldi will also speak about résumés and show effective examples.
The Soup and Substance presentation is free and will start at 11 a.m. in University Union Room 220.