Shuttling down I-91 in eco-friendly carpools, 17 Dartmouth students plan to visit the Big Apple in pursuit of careers in environmental and sustainable development. These environmentally conscience students of the Ivy League -- a blend of nature-loving, intelligent and polished job seekers -- will attend a career fair at Columbia University where they plan on foregoing their Birkenstocks and arriving with the professionalism afforded any corporate job, according to past attendee Ruth Hupart '08.
The fourth annual All-Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development and Career Fair will bring together interested students and environmentally focused companies to network and discuss future job opportunities.
"It's not a bunch of hippies talking about ways they can change the world," said Hupart, who attended the fair last year and also plans to attend on Friday. "It's a lot of very motivated, polished Ivy League students convincing consulting firms they have ideas to improve environmental image and take a place in the market economy."
Dartmouth sends few students to the fair each year compared to other colleges, Holly Wilkinson, director of career services at Thayer School of Engineering, said. The College's relatively low numbers could be due to poor promotion of the event at Dartmouth, or the distance between Hanover and Columbia, she said.
Many students interested in environmental careers have felt a pull towards popular professions in finance and consulting.
Andrew Klein '08 said he began the corporate recruiting process his junior year, but never followed through with the two interviews he had during the process. He is attending the environmental career fair this year to find a job he can be passionate about, he said.
"[Finance has] always been on the back of my mind." Klein said. "There is too much time invested in finance and I'm just interested in other things. At heart I'm an explorer of culture and language and finance is just not my thing."
Students hope Friday's career fair will help them connect with potential employers.
Lindsay Leone '08, who was off campus in the fall, said she was having difficulty reaching employers this winter and is looking for a professional opportunity at the career fair.
"I'm more worried about finding a job that supports living on my own," Leone said. "A lot of the jobs that I find that are neat are non-profits or unpaid internships."
It is important students keep a goal in mind when attending a career fair, according to Wilkinson. She recommended students hand out their resumes and receive business cards from employers.
"You really don't want to go to a career fair just to gather information," Wilkinson said. "I would try to target a few companies, do some research, know about the company. This is a chance to promote yourself -- to make an impression"
Klein's goal is to learn about environmental opportunities at the fair, but he does not expect to find a career.
"Most jobs require networking with alumni," Klein said. "While the career fair is a good way to open up your eyes to employment, I would say connections to alumni are more useful than career fairs."
For some, the career fair represents the first step from the theoretical discussion of the environment towards its practical application.
"I'm excited about getting a job." Hupart said. "I feel like its time to stop training and anticipating and to start doing."
