Career and Professional Development
Gain real-world experience through internships, tech treks, and projects with companies in IS&T's Learn and Earn career development program and class projects.
The college is committed to providing you with hands-on experiences that prepare you for real-world applications as you pursue your degree. To support this, our Learn and Earn program connects students with companies starting in their first semester. Explore the links below to discover more about our initiatives to help you build a successful professional future.
The IS&T Learn and Earn Initiative provides students with valuable opportunities to engage with Omaha's companies through tech treks (company visits), hands-on, project-based classes, and for-credit internships.
This initiative ensures that students develop professional skills and build career portfolios to secure internships and jobs upon graduation. The opportunities included in our Learn and Earn initiative are:
Tech Treks and college success
Your connection with industry begins in your very first semester. As part of CIST 1010: College and Career Success, you will not only develop essential skills for succeeding in college but also engage directly with our partner companies through Tech Treks. These are on-site visits where organizations showcase how technology drives their operations. These experiences also offer opportunities to connect with alumni and practice professional communication with company representatives.
CIST 2010 IS&T Student Tech Lab helps you build the skills needed to contribute to real-world technology projects and develop as a leader. You will explore the fundamentals of agile methodology and learn how to apply it to advance a project from start to finish. The course also covers essential leadership topics, including communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, public speaking, and responsible use of technology.
Throughout the semester, you will collaborate with a team to work on a real project from one of our partners. Your team will present the solution by the end of the course, gaining experience that supports future internships, capstone projects, and career paths in the field.
- Tech Career Seminar
This is a class we offer in collaboration with the Aksarben Foundation’s Nebraska Tech Collaborative. This innovative course is designed to provide you with real-world, hands-on exposure to Nebraska’s tech ecosystem through executive leader visits, company site tours, and connections to employers for potential internships and job opportunities. You will be able to network with recent graduates, practice your interview skills for
- Service-learning courses and research projects
The College offers a variety of courses that incorporate hands-on projects, allowing you to apply your knowledge to real-world challenges. These projects are excellent opportunities to build a professional portfolio and can be showcased on platforms like LinkedIn and GitHub to demonstrate your skills to potential employers.
In addition to coursework, we encourage you to participate in research. You can collaborate with faculty members on meaningful research initiatives through our many research centers. These experiences not only deepen your understanding of the field but also enhance your credentials for graduate studies or future employment.
- Capstone projects
Our capstone course is your culminating academic experience, typically taken during the final year of your degree. It is designed to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired throughout your studies. Our capstone courses often involve a significant project of a real-world problem that requires critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. The goal is to demonstrate mastery in the field, often through a presentation, report, or product that reflects both academic and professional standards.
Finally, during your program, you will gain experience in your major through internships. This experience will help round out your work portfolio, preparing you to enter and advance professionally in your career. If you are a transfer or a graduate student, you will be able to apply for internships soon after you enter the college.
