Students seeking 'foot in the door' attend Carroll Community College's IT career fair

Carroll Community College's technology majors had the opportunity to meet with prospective employers at the school's IT/Cybersecurity Career Fair on Thursday in the school's Babylon Great Hall.

The event featured employers from 22 technology organizations, including Deep Run Security, the Center for Internet Security and Koniag Government Services. In addition to the chance to network and share resumes with potential employers, the fair also featured a pair of panels about the state of the industry, including "Women in Tech" and "Careers in Government."

Rebecca Paul, of Eldersburg, said she spent most of the morning at the fair because it was a great opportunity to network and see what the field is truly like.

"They put a lot of work into helping us find jobs and create these connections with employers," Paul said. "It's a great opportunity to take advantage of without driving to Baltimore or D.C."

Randy Hayes, with Skyline Technology Solutions, said many students were interested in finding out where these jobs might one day lead, and wanted to know how best to enter the industry.

"I've been telling them you've got to start looking at entry-level jobs to figure out what path you want to take," Hayes said. "Then you keep studying."

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Jonathan Sutton, of Westminster, walked from booth to booth, handing out resumes and talking with representatives about their organizations. He said he only has a semester left until he graduates and was curious about whether he was qualified for any of these positions.

"They've been pleased with how far I've come and everything that Carroll's taught me," Sutton said. "I've always been really into computers since I was little and I wanted to help people. Cybersecurity seemed like a good place to work on computers and help people at the same time."

Lydia DeTello, of CompuGroup Medical, said she can appreciate the nervousness of many of the students, since she stood in their shoes just two years ago. A recent graduate of Carroll Community College herself, DeTello said this kind of preparation is vital for landing that first adult job.

"Everyone is looking for a foot in the door, which is great, because that's how I started at this company," DeTello said. "There are definitely a lot of jobs available if you have the talent and drive to pursue it."

jacob.denobel@carrollcountytimes.com

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