Visualization Students To Explore Career Opportunities With Annual Industry Fair
Texas A&M students in the Visualization program can prepare for life after college by participating in the annual student-led Viz Industry Fair, hosted by the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
The in-person career fair will be Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center, Room 2406. A virtual version will be Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Discord. Registration forms, Discord information and the full schedule can be found on the Viz Industry Fair website.
In preparation for the fair, students participated in mock interviews and had their portfolios reviewed by professionals and professors in the program.
Mayet Andreassen, faculty lead liaison for the Viz Industry Fair committee and associate program director for the Bachelor of Science degree in Visualization, was among those who offered guidance on portfolios. She said she was excited to see students were well-prepared for their career journey.
“I’m hoping that students walk away with internships, jobs or some interviews lined up,” Andreassen said. “At the very least, that students walk away with good feedback from companies and experience talking to industry and company representatives.”
Andreassen said she hopes the industry representatives leave knowing the quality of students in the program.
“Then every year it builds,” she said. “More companies come to us instead of students having to go to them.”
To prepare for the opportunity, Andreassen advised students to get proper rest the night before, have their attire selected and eat a healthy breakfast that morning.
“The students should have everything set out beforehand,” she said. “They need to make sure they have copies of their resume or business cards all ready to go, so they can be bright and shiny and ready in the morning.”
Emilie Sangerhausen, outreach lead for the Viz Industry Fair committee, said the goal is to ensure students have the resources they need and are prepared to enter the workforce. Animation, gaming, architecture and health care companies have been a part of previous fairs.
“We try to make students aware of all of the opportunities available to them, because not every class coming out of Viz is the same,” Sangerhausen said. “I am excited to see students not only interested in attending the fair, but also underclassmen having interest in setting it up. I think that is very valuable for them to get that experience early, because it helps build those connections.”
For the virtual fair, Sangerhausen said students should keep their cameras on to ensure they are visible to recruiters, and to stay alert and ask questions. For the in-person fair, she advised them to stay engaged in conversations when talking to companies at their booths.
Companies participating in person or on Discord include A Bunch of Short Guys, Electronic Arts, AEM Creations, Brazen Animation, Framestore, Bluepoint Games, Luna Creative and the Texas Film Commission.
Some will conduct interviews on site and others will offer presentations. The lineup is subject to change, according to Jenny Tran, committee co-director for the fair. Tran said last year’s Viz Industry Fair featured 11 companies, and she hopes they will double that this year.
“We wanted to bring as many companies as we can, and we want more presentations, more interactions with students and for it to be bigger,” Tran said. “I am really excited, and I think this industry fair is going to be the best one yet.”
Top photo: Representatives from Electronic Arts, including Texas A&M graduate Gracie Arenas Strittmatter, left, were a part of the 2023 Viz Industry Fair. EA will be back again this year.
