With the semester coming to an end and graduation fast approaching, UTEP students were asked if they felt their colleges have prepared them well enough for their careers. 

Junior Nathaniel Regaldo, mechanical engineering major at UTEP, said the College of Engineering has prepared him for practical solutions and theory based learning.  

Regaldo said he has developed time management skills which help him complete projects and tasks efficiently, giving him a competitive advantage in the industry. 

Regaldo feels professors in mechanical engineering could be more understanding and patient with students since this is their first time being exposed to the material.  

“They got to realize that we’re not as advanced and it’s not common knowledge for certain aspects in that subject,” Regaldo said. “For us to understand as opposed to them.” 

Junior Ruben Martinez, a multimedia journalism major at UTEP, says he had prior knowledge of video editing but his classes taught the skills that are required of editors in the field to appeal to prospective employers. 

“I feel like the classes I have been taking have really prepared me,” Martinez said. “And all the classes I am going to be taking later down the line will help me continue and further my knowledge for my career.” 

Martinez says classes have offered him networking opportunities but he prefers to find connections on his own; he believes that positions offered to the broader public might be more difficult to obtain. 

“Even if you don’t choose to go to the ones through a class offers like the one I am in, you could always go look for them on campus which I think is really great,” Martinez said. “Everything starts with a question.”  

Sophomore Paola Martinez says the College of Business hosts a variety of career serving events for students and encourages students from every college to attend. 

“Every single week there’s people from different companies that come and speak to us and we’re always invited, we even get extra credit” said Paola Martinez. “Those are always good opportunities for your future.” 

Martinez says that students are networking in class with other students and professors can be important for their career.  

“Networking is something really big in the College of Business because that’s the biggest thing for your future,” Paola Martinez said. “Even with classmates, meeting someone, maybe in the future you’ll have a company with that person or your professor can hire you if he has something going on.” 

Julia Lucero is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected].