Spark Photonics Foundation’s Post

🔄 Throwback Monday Last Monday's Maths and Physics Careers Showcase was a brilliant reminder of why placement years are absolutely worth it! 🎯✨ We had amazing companies like Camlin Group, Kainos, Seagate Technology, and Celerion share why they're so passionate about bringing fresh talent into their teams. These industry leaders highlighted how placement students bring unique perspectives and invaluable skills to their organisations. Still on the fence about doing a placement year? The showcase demonstrated how these experiences can be career-defining moments, benefitting both students and businesses alike! 🚀 #CareerGrowth #StudentSuccess #PlacementYear #MathsAndPhysics #QUBCareers

In June, we were delighted to host our talented cohort of second year graduates at our 2024 Conference, celebrating the achievements they have made over the last two years. Our guest Jamie Crummie, Co-founder of Too Good To Go gave an inspirational talk on his journey, and how being curious can help guide us throughout our careers. See the video below for a short snippet of the Conference! #graduateconference #earlycareers #graduates #engineering #technology

Creating clear pathways from college to career is essential for higher education institutions to ensure students are career-ready and stay connected to their communities. This awesome highlight from The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights Lorain County Community College's earn-and-learn model—which boasts a 100% job-placement rate in their Micro Electromechanical Systems program—is a shining example of how work-based learning and local industry partnerships can drive regional economic growth and talent retention. At CapSource , we empower institutions to replicate these high-impact outcomes through cost-effective, industry-integrated programs. Our platform helps build networks, track engagement, and align curricula with real-world demands, ensuring students gain meaningful career experiences and stay connected to their regions. Learn more about how community partnerships fuel growth and sustainability: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gKtQTuqJ #WorkBasedLearning #CareerReadiness #HigherEd #CommunityPartnerships #CapSource #EconomicDevelopment #StudentSuccess https://lnkd.in/g2hrdfwq

If you are intersted in Microelectronics graduate study, see below!

Tomorrow lunch time, MTU Careers is hosting a webinar for PhD students on Targeting Industry Jobs as a PhD. This free webinar features inputs from Dr. Tony Daly (Pfizer), Zoe Coghlan (Intel Corporation) and Marcel Skolimowski (Sigmar Recruitment). You can join the webinar by heading to the link in the About section of our profile! #MTUCareers #MTU #PhD

Unveil the real picture! Studying in the US isn't a black box. Research tools let you compare programs based on graduate success (think job placement and salaries) and support systems (like career services). This intel empowers you to find a program that maximizes your return - an investment that fuels your future career. Don't settle for unknowns, chase your US education dream with clear eyes! #MythVsFact #StudyAbroad #UnlockYourPotential #MSinUS #GradRight #MastersinUSA #HigherEducation

If you're in the early stages of your STEM career and not sure which path to take, what's the best way of gaining insight into alternative roles? 🤔 Pedro Resende of Chaperone explains why experimentation and 'career prototyping' is key to keeping your science career options open! 🙌 This is a snippet from a full panel discussion on academic vs non-academic career paths from the LabLife Conference 2024 - available now on the Hello Bio YouTube channel, or you can read the article here: https://ow.ly/6RJl50RgUYc #STEMcareers #sciencecareers #STEMcareeradvice #careeradvice #STEMcareerpaths

WAYFINDER - Career Development Workshop During today's career development workshop, held for master's students visiting us at Fraunhofer IOF as part of Fraunhofer Photonica Summer School 2024 program by Fraunhofer IST. Julia Hakuba and I conducted two 90-minute sessions. The aim was to #empower participants by fostering #selfreflection and peer exchange. Using a simple design process focused on mutual understanding, we included a well-received #speeddating networking format and association cards for participants to reflect on their current career status. We applied the #Tshaped employee development model for deeper self-reflection, followed by group discussions to broaden perspectives. In the second phase, the "solution space," we used a hero’s journey framework to explore current challenges, envision future aspirations, and guide participants toward actionable career insights. The workshop was highly engaging, helping participants gain new perspectives and a deeper understanding of themselves.

Steer the ship or go with the flow? As a graduate student, you will continuously face situations where you can either steer the ship or just go with the flow. Steering the ship means to intentionally and proactively direct the course of your graduate study. Going with the flow implies accepting a situation as it is without trying to change or control it. I have realised that it is probably easier to go with flow, however, this means living each day with the hope that you’ll luckily reach your desired destination. One common reason graduate students go with the flow sometimes is naivety. I have been there, so I understand. When I started lab rotations as a first year PhD student, I didn’t know to ask the right questions. 👍🏾Do you have funding for me? 👍🏾What are your expectations? 👍🏾Do you expect me to work weekends? 👍🏾Am I a good fit for your lab? 👍🏾How many publications are we working towards? etc Somehow, I assumed everything was just going to work out. It was after I had used up 2 rotation spots (out of 3), that I realised I needed to be proactive and steer my ship. I set up interviews for my 3rd rotation, emailed people in that lab to learn about lab culture, went through the lab website, and midway through the rotation I enquired about my progress and fit for the lab. These were actions I didn’t take for the first 2 rotations. I ended up joining the 3rd lab more confidently and informed, because I had been more intentional, observant and asked the right questions. Like they say, ignorance is no excuse. It’s up to you to chart your course! #DearGradStudents #ChinasaUfondu #PhDTales

Last Sunday Alumni Association College of Engineering Guindy (AACEG) and the #CareerGuidanceForum of the College of Engineering, Guindy had organised mock interviews for the third and final year students of #CEG As I was participating in it I was reflecting on my career and careers in general. As Shiv Shivkumar rightly put in his book The Right Choice (https://lnkd.in/g2pyqFeT) A) A career is lived and experienced forward and understood in retrospect ( almost towards the mid career or post mid career) B) Every person is responsible for her/his career. Their choices shape the career. One may argue external environments play a key role. However it’s our decision in response to the cues from the environment that shape our career. And, a career is not a straight line and it’s never straightforward. At best it’s a doodle with many lateral and occasional downward movements. As we progress in our career we make choices - (a) higher education, mid career, (b) geographical migration, (c) large, well established company vs a startup or own venture, (d) a break to recover from a burnout or a mishap ,(e) an overseas opportunity and more … In part 1 of the video here you would see a man bouncing a ping pong ball on frying pans. All of us choose the ball at the beginning of the career - some choose ping pong balls and some may choose a foot ball. That’s the first choice. Whether to bounce them on a pan or something else is another important decision to be made. Where to place the pan after the ball bounces off the previous pan is an important choice too. It’s a dynamic decision. Changing the ball mid course is an option and decision too. Dropping the ball may not be an option. The part 2 of the video shows a colony of red ants building a bridge to cross over a gap, between a leaf and the adjacent tree trunk. This explains what role any #AlumniNetwork can play in helping those who need to jump over a crevice that appears in their career path. Looking forward to build this bridge in #CEGAM4.0