TAMU-CC Engineering Students Expand Career Opportunities at SEC Career Fair

A group of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) engineering students traveled to College Station this semester to attend the SEC Engineering Career Fair, gaining opportunities to connect with employers, explore career paths, and strengthen their professional skills. 

Among the students attending was Macy Winchester ’26, a senior mechanical engineering major and president of the TAMU-CC chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).  

For Winchester, the trip was an opportunity to return to a career fair she first attended in 2024. With graduation approaching in December, her focus shifted toward exploring full-time engineering positions and learning more about the companies and industries available to mechanical engineering graduates. 

“I feel like that is the major one that helps you get your foot in the door,” Winchester said. “You can really practice your elevator pitch and really see what companies are looking for.”  

Preparing for an event of this size required more than printing resumes. Winchester said students have taken advantage of resume workshops, mock interviews, and resources available through the TAMU-CC Career Center and the Writing Center. The group also used the trip to College Station as another opportunity to prepare, reviewing resumes and practicing elevator pitches with one another along the way. 

“I think it was very good overall,” Winchester said of traveling together. “It was good to go as a group and kind of have those people to bounce your ideas off of.” 

Once at the career fair, students were able to speak with employers representing a variety of engineering industries and learn how their degrees could translate into positions they may not have previously considered. Winchester spoke with companies in industrial, civil, and maritime fields and discovered that many employers were interested in the broad skill set mechanical engineers can bring to their organizations.  

One of Winchester’s biggest takeaways came from seeking out smaller companies where she could have more personal conversations with recruiters. Instead of simply submitting a resume, she was able to discuss her projects, experiences, and qualifications in greater detail. 

“They actually fully walked through my resume, wanted to learn about my projects, my experiences, and everything,” Winchester said. “I felt like that really helped with getting able to have those conversations.”  

Beyond searching for employment, the experience gave the students an opportunity to build confidence in networking and communicating with engineering professionals. Winchester said attending a large career fair can initially be intimidating, but the experience makes approaching employers and attending future career events much easier. 

For other students considering attending similar events, Winchester recommends taking advantage of the professional development resources available on campus, particularly the Career Center and resume workshops. She also encourages students to continually improve their resumes and become comfortable speaking with potential employers.  

The trip demonstrated the opportunities TAMU-CC students can access beyond campus while representing the university alongside engineering students from across the region. 

“It’s just nice to see kind of a smaller university like ours able to bring students to something like that,” Winchester said. “It really helps you with networking and just overall how to talk to people in the real adult world.”