“Between IIT’s crowded calendar of networking workshops, professional events, and career related development, it becomes clear that IIT is dedicated to improving students’ odds of getting a job during or immediately following graduation. There were two notable events in January, that both encouraged students to understand the reality of life after college that I would like to throw light upon….

…The SEA IIT (Structural Engineers Association of IIT) January presentation by Brian Dekker, the Director of the National Council of Structural Engineers Association and new President of Sound Structures, Inc. Mr. Dekker spent much of his presentation on the amazing benefits of a successful professional student organization, but made it clear that in order to succeed today you need to network as much as possible. Dekker claims he did not have the best grades in college, but he achieved the Highest Scholastic Achievement from his department upon graduation, for knowing the content and for getting to know his professors.

From a quirky story about falling asleep in class, Dekker explained how he became known to all of the Structural Engineering Professors at UIUC and how this helped him start his network as well as land his first job. Immediately after graduation, he was in high demand among professional engineers who had heard about his achievements and personality from his professors in school. He explained that because of this network, it took him only 7 years to go from being a student to the president of a structural engineering firm and onto the board of the National Structural Engineers Association. He iterated and reiterated what made his success possible in more or less the same words as the Architecture Alumni Panel: “it’s not always what you know, but who you know.”…”-Dan Zwieg, Tech News

For the full article about IIT’s spring events visit the Tech News website.