UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will host its annual Ag Sciences Career Day on Tuesday, Oct. 10. The event draws nearly 200 exhibitors, recruiters and academic program representatives from agricultural and related industries annually.
Ag Sciences Career Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus. Students can meet with more than 250 representatives from industry employers, government agencies and higher education institutions from across the country. Companies scheduled to appear include international organizations, national and regional organizations, and Pennsylvania and local businesses.
"Ag Sciences Career Day provides an invigorating forum to connect leaders in the agricultural sciences with top talent," said Lori Connelly, director of experiential learning and career services in the College of Agricultural Sciences. "This is an exciting time to work in the agricultural sciences, and the opportunities extend far beyond production agriculture."
According to a 2015 USDA five year jobs report, there will be an "estimated 57,900 high-skilled job openings annually in the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and environment fields in the United States" until 2020.
The event is open to all students, from freshman to seniors. This includes students from outside the College of Agricultural Sciences. Many organizations represented at Ag Sciences Career Day have roles related to finance, supply chain, engineering, sales and marketing. Employers are seeking students interested in both internships and full-time careers.
"Our goal is for this event to mutually benefit both the exhibitors and the students. The opportunities in the agricultural sciences are vast, and our students are eager to contribute," Connelly said.
Representatives from Penn State Law, the Penn State Smeal College of Business, the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton School of Veterinary Medicine, Cal Poly State University, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine also will be present at Ag Career Day. Around a quarter of the graduates from the College of Agricultural Sciences go on to attend graduate school, veterinary school, law school or another professional program.
"Even though the application process for graduate school is different than a typical job application, we still encourage students who choose this path to attend Ag Sciences Career Day," Connelly said. "Not only will students have the chance to visit with individuals from those programs, they can explore various careers that may be available to them upon completion of their education."
For more information, visit the Ag Sciences Career Day website or contact Connelly at 814-865-7522 or by email at agcareerday@ag.psu.edu.