On Wednesday evening over 100 job seekers descended on The Iron Yard’s campus on G Street downtown to meet with representatives from 10 hiring companies. Yes, we’re talking NET/WORK 2017.
The Technical.ly-produced jobs fair featured workshops, head shots, resume reviews and plenty of time for candidates and companies alike to get to know each other. The room buzzed, the job seekers looked smart and there was company swag — oh so much company swag.
We at Technical.ly talk a lot about how NET/WORK is not an average, boring job fair. But what does this actually mean for the attendees? I took a break from Snapchatting the event (check it out before it disappears*, username technicallym) to ask.
For Jordan and Christian, both grad students at George Washington University, the diversity of companies in attendance was a draw. It gave both a sense of the vastly different kinds of careers available to the technically-inclined in D.C. — from building media products to creating business software and beyond.
Margo, a radio broadcast technician with a master’s degree in computer science who’s looking to transition into web development, reflected on the intimacy of the room. “I kind of like that it’s been smaller,” she said, adding that this made the event feel less overwhelming than other jobs fairs she has attended.
Look at all these cool folks at @TechnicallyDC #networkDC17 event! #dctech cc: @TheIronYard pic.twitter.com/cCxQkSc4qK
— kayt (@kaytwritescode) March 29, 2017
Not everyone at the event was looking to get hired, at least not immediately.
Allison was there as a freelance mobile developer just keeping her eyes open for new opportunities. For now though she’s working on all kinds of projects, including an app to help freelancers in a given city connect with each other. “It gets lonely,” she said. An app like the one she’s envisioning could help build a sense of community.
Similarly Tony, a UX designer in attendance, decided to check out the event despite the fact that he’s not actively job hunting. “I’m exploring,” he said. “I’ve met some companies I’m going to keep on my radar.”
*jk, here it is in full:
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