It was a decidedly young crowd at the recent Information Technology (ITEC) conference at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Whether it was Complete Business Systems, Inc. (CBSI), American Power Conversion, Lighthouse Communications, Microsoft, Netsense Internet Solutions or Purvis Systems, Inc., the employees manning the booths shared not only a penchant for technology, but a certain youthful exuberance.
Even Gov. Lincoln Almond, in addressing conference attendees and exhibitors at a breakfast meeting on the second day of the two-day conference, seemed to sense that at ITEC — youth was being served. He peppered his comments with references to the “workforce of the future.”
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“When we have a student graduate from a college or university in Rhode Island, that diploma should be as good as any diploma in the United States,” said Almond. “These are the students that you will be recruiting.”
At the two-day ITEC conference, dozens of attendees had the label “student” emblazoned on their name tag. While company representatives promoted their wares, students asked questions of their own — not so much about products, but about companies. Today’s graduates are in a better position than their recent predecessors. Recruiters are hitting college campuses in Rhode Island early — and often. Companies hope such an aggressive approach will pay off and that they will in fact snatch up the best and brightest that Rhode Island’s colleges have to offer. But in the end, the students will decided which opportunities to follow.
Are Rhode Island’s college students keeping Rhode Island among their future plans? The answer to that question varies according to the particular student. But at least some students from outside of Rhode Island seem sincerely impressed by the Ocean State, and given the opportunity, may stick around awhile. But today’s college students are also open minded when it comes to opportunities. In short, they will go to where the opportunities exist.
Danielle Driscoll is a senior at Providence College, majoring in history and Spanish. A Braintree, Mass., native, Driscoll has come to enjoy Rhode Island and life in its capital city.
“There’s a lot to do here,” she said.
Driscoll’s ultimate goal is to pursue a career in law enforcement — maybe even a job with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But she has a hefty collection of college loans and plans to attend graduate school in the years to come. Her immediate goal, she said, is to find a job. Law enforcement, she said, will come in good time.
“Right now I’m focusing on the business world — companies like Fidelity and Putman Investments,” Driscoll said. Driscoll said she is open to working anywhere. But because her experiences at Providence College have been positive, Rhode Island may have an inside track.
“If something came my way in Rhode Island, I would definitely take it,” Driscoll said.
Lisa Colantuno is another Providence College senior. She is an English major with a minor in finance. The Marblehead, Mass., native has her sights set on financial services. And come next summer, she hopes to land a job in Beantown.
“I’ve always lived near Boston,” said Colantuno. “Ultimately, I would like to work there.”
But like Driscoll, Colantuno too said that should a job offer come from a company in Providence, she would certainly consider it.
Even younger students seem to know early on the roads on which they plan to travel. Cappucienne Brown is a freshman at Johnson & Wales University. A native of the Bahamas, Brown is studying business. Her initial impressions of Rhode Island have been good. She has visited in the past, and thus far, college life in Providence has been a positive experience. Brown will consider working in Rhode Island — if only temporarily — when she graduates. But her heart is in the Bahamas.
“I’ll probably work back home, but I’d like to work here for a year first,” she said. “It’s really nice here.”
April Davis is another Johnson & Wales freshman. Davis, of St. Louis, is studying international business. She too, is enjoying Rhode Island. But she doesn’t expect to stay long once she earns that degree. And it doesn’t sound like even the most convincing company recruiter will change her mind.
“I want to work in New York City — Wall Street to be exact,” she said.
