Recent shifts in the technology industry present new challenges for students seeking work and internships as companies consolidate and withdraw internship opportunities.
Most companies are still hiring college graduates and have continued to receive interns. But typically companies have decreased the number of internships offered through the Career Center to about half those available prior the recession, said Michael Doty, career services director.
"The student may not wind up exactly where they were hoping to be as far as the opportunity goes, but they're still able to get the experience," Doty said.
Of 43 information technology graduates from spring 2009, 17 students responded to Career Center surveys and affirmed they had received employment.
Two technology giants headquartered in Plano, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Perot Systems were acquired by Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell respectively. This merger illustrates how consolidation can affect employment and opportunities.
Sebastian Shagerer, UTD alum and HP software developer, attributes his employment to his June 2008 internship while he was still a student.
"I got lucky in December (2008) when I got hired," Schagerer said. "Looking for an internship while still a student offers a huge advantage."
HP cut pay across-the-board and reduced benefits at the beginning of the year, Schagerer said.
"When EDS came in (during the September acquisition), there was a lot of overlap in jobs," Schagerer said.
He said the acquisition had little effect on work from his experience, but there had been layoffs.
HP announced a 7.5 percent reduction in their workforce in 2008 after the merger with EDS and had completed 16,000 layoffs by September 2009, said a media relations representative from HP.
Perot Systems, now called Dell Perot Systems, finalized its transition in late September and has since made another acquisition. The companies will be integrating over the next year, said business administration senior David Malicoat, employee of Dell Perot Systems.
Malicoat said he currently budgets his money for expenditures, a sharp contrast to the tech bubble days with a large salary and vendors seeking to attract business with free lunches nearly every day.
Through the Dell Perot Systems merger, his company has doubled the number of employees in his division to 42,000.
Some technology companies such as Dell Perot Systems see increased demand for services when businesses outsource to save money.
"I know that Perot has been hitting its targets for sales, even in the face of the downturn," Malicoat said.
During hiring freezes, hiring managers sometimes ask students to stay in school and continue their internships until hiring resumes, said Jerry Alexander, associate dean of Engineering and Computer Science.
Alexander said students should focus on academics and experience to enhance their marketability. Many companies screen out applicants with GPAs below 3.0.
"It's a time of uncertainty. What I'm hearing is next year will be better," Alexander said.
