Industry Immersion is an intensive experiential learning opportunity for late-stage graduate students and postdoctoral researchers that prepares participants for the corporate environment. Attendees learn a host of important career and professional development skills and competencies such as leadership, teamwork, communicating with a non-technical audience, personal branding, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, business strategy, and managing global relationships. 

Immersion Week 2024 

Immersion Week will take place May 6-10, 2024, during the week after the spring 2024 semester ends. Applications for Immersion Week 2024 are now open! The deadline to apply for this year is March 25

Immersion Week Programming Focuses on: 

Rachael Bishop

"A2i showed me that I have value as a person and a scholar and a potential employee right now. I don’t need to wait until I get my degree or until I have 10 years of experience. Who I am and what I do now is meaningful, and I learned that I should not take myself out of the running for a career before I have a chance to see where it might go."

—-Rachael Bishop, Ph.D. Candidate in Communications Arts and Sciences, University Park Campus

 

 

 

Immersion Week Highlights: 

• Networking sessions
• Resume workshop
• Career panels
• Mock Interviews
• Job Offers and salary negotiations
• Professional headshots

Eligibility: 

• Penn State doctoral students within 2 years of graduation 
• Penn State master’s students within 1 year of graduation 
• Penn State postdoctoral scholars 

Topics from Immersion Week 2023 

• Networking Reception 
• Individual Development Plans, Career Exploration, and Assessment 
• Leadership Lunch: How Leadership and Teamwork Can Help Accelerate Innovation in an Organization 
• Alumni Panel Discussion: Leveraging Your Professional Networks 
• CV to Resume Session 
• DEI and YOU: What is DEI and where do you fit in? 
• Resume Review Sessions 
• Leadership Lunch: Creating Career Success in the Global Marketplace 
• Industry Sector Panel Discussion 
• Job Offers and Salary Negotiations 
• Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace 
• Work-Life Balance: Maintaining your peace of mind before, during, and after the job search 
• Leadership Lunch: The Importance of Drawing on YOUR Full Talent Portfolio for Success 
• Mock Interviews 
• Entrepreneurship for Scholars: What It is Like to Start a Company 
• Interdisciplinary Team Projects 

Bharadwaj Mudumba

"The process of finding a job is difficult, but attending this program has helped me realize that we are not alone in this journey. There are many people who are willing to offer their assistance. The program provided me not only with techniques to find employment but also with the organizational skills necessary for a successful transition from academia to industry."

—-Bharadwaj Mudumba, M.S. Student in Computer Science, Penn State Harrisburg