Such work experience, coupled with a degree from an institution that offers up-to-date technology courses, is advantageous for entry-level job seekers, according to Paul Valente, managing partner of the Middletown, New Jersey-based Advanced Business & Micro Solutions, a firm that provides consulting services to information systems organizations. 

Further, because of the abundance of new high-tech positions, employment professionals are reminding students to begin their job searches for entry-level positions on the Internet. For example, the Massachusetts job-placement firm, New Dimensions in Technology, Inc., has a Web site that identifies many entry-level jobs. 

The Black Collegian's Web site is www.black-collegian.com. IMDIVERSITY.COM Web site is www.imdiversity.com. Both offer employment information for collegians and professionals. 

You can just about throw a dart at the board and find an open position, particularly in networks, the Internet and Microsoft-based networks, Valente says, adding that it's nevertheless important for telecommunications and computer-technology students to get verifiable high-tech work experience before graduating. If they can get into an internship, that would obviously be the best way to do it.  

Such experience allows graduating entry-level job seekers to compete for high-paying programming, network-integration, graphic-design and information-retrieval jobs at many high-tech firms, Valente and other experts say. For instance, the starting pay for network integrators with limited experience, according to recent national labor statistics, can hit almost $40,000; however, mid-level employees with more experience can expect a salary of up to $75,000. And very seasoned network integrators who are brought in to design, install and maintain a company's computer network can earn up to $150,000. 

If students can get any kind of high-tech work experience before they graduate through co-op programs or internships, those students will have a tremendous edge, says Dr. Cynthia Hirtzel, dean of Temple University's School of Engineering, based in Philadelphia, PA, A student with a non-spectacular academic background and work experience will stand just as good a chance of landing an entry-level job as someone with excellent grades and no work experience. Hirtzel says. 

Entry-level jobs in software development, the Internet and telecommunications in general are great targets for college students who augment their college studies with practical work experience, the dean said. 

Dr. Phyllis Henderson-Brown, interim director of Lincoln University's Urban Center in Philadelphia, agrees. New graduates will encounter some difficulties unless they've done internships, says Henderson-Brown, who is directing a major expansion in computer-related courses at the urban campus of Lincoln, America's first predominately Black college. 

However, students can also obtain experience by working part-time, Henderson-Brown says. 

Valente suggests that students should not rule out freelance or consulting opportunities in order to establish a relationship with a particular firm before applying for an entry-level job. 

Indeed, after initially taking a job that's not purely high-tech, a graduate can later target and move over to a more desirable technology position at the company, advised George Zeitler, an executive of Western Technical Services in Raleigh, NC. They can often get on-the-job training, he explained, in such areas as fiber-optics networking, allowing them to lay cable that is capable of transmitting enormous amounts of diverse information to and from computer network systems. 

Telecommunications and computer technology are very fast-growing areas, says Donahue Redmond, AT&T Corp.'s network expert who received on-the-job network training. He serves as president of the Orlando, FL chapter of the Alliance of Black Telecommunications Employees, Inc. Some individuals who get that home-grown, required network experience are able to move into very relevant positions, Redmond said. 

In fact, to help students get a foot in the academic door, Redmond's Florida chapter offers programs and a scholarship that benefit African Americans attending Valencia Community College, and predominately Black Florida A&M and Bethune Cookman colleges, all of which feature strong computer-science programs. 

As with most programs, applicants for the Valencia Community College scholarship must have evidence of financial need and be enrolled in an engineering technology program or pre-engineering curriculum, says Christine Wright, assistant executive director of Valencia Foundation, the fund-raising arm of the central-Florida college. Then, they must intend to transfer for an engineering baccalaureate degree or enroll in a communications-oriented career program at a four-year college such as Florida A&M or Bethune Cookman, she said. 

Meanwhile, students can join engineering-related campus groups and network via professional organizations to obtain worthy entry-level jobs, campus recruitment authorities say. It's prudent to join such organizations as the GMU (George Mason University) Telecommunications Society in Washington, DC, a program serving the school's currently enrolled students and providing a channel for communication with the faculty and alumni of the program. Also, it's wise for students to join professional groups such as the National Association of Black Telecommunications Professionals and National Society of Black Engineers, with chapters throughout the United States. Grooming contacts and taking advantage of the organizations' job-search programs can be of great benefit, the placement officers say. 

Also, students can use their high-tech skills to search the Internet for entry-level jobs via the offerings of such firms as New Dimensions in Technology, Inc., whose Website can be found by activating the Infoseek search engine. Job seekers can simply search for www.ndt.com and an array of jobs ranging from junior application engineers and junior-level developers to multimedia-software engineers and telephony-speech recognition software developers are displayed. Resumes can even be submitted while visiting the site via e-mail. (See The Artful Resume and Cover Letter in this issue.) 
But don't forget: It's vital that students who plan to pursue entry-level jobs choose an academic engineering or high-tech program that is accredited, up-to-date and practical, educators and employers warn. Students have to be careful because some schools don't offer courses that are relevant to today's work environment, cautions Valente, managing partner of Advanced Business & Micro Solutions. It doesn't make sense to study some program language that's no longer in use, when instead the emphasis should be on the Internet, networking and modern software development, Valente explains, adding that students should zero-in on programs that emphasize hands-on experience, and not just theory, he added, again pointing to internships as a way to land entry-level positions. If they finish [an academic] program with some kind of relevant systems technology, they stand a much better chance of landing a job with a decent salary. Those students who continue their studies on the graduate level and receive the likes of an MBA (master's in business administration) degree with an emphasis in new information technology can sometimes get starting salaries approaching $100,000. Remember, Internet training can be a real boost to a student's application, he says. 

Still, he says, there's another way for students to land a lucrative entry-level job. I'd recommend getting certification. This can be done via company programs that train people to be certified in a particular area. For instance, Microsoft has certification for its visual basics language program, he explains. And although the competition to matriculate in such certification programs is intense, Valente is convinced that they are well worth fighting over.

The bottom line is there's a vital need for more minority students to pursue engineering disciplines and grab entry-level jobs, says Hirtzel, Temple University's dean of engineering. In general, not as many minorities and women have been attracted to these jobs as have Caucasian males to engineering disciplines, Hirtzel maintains. So, overall, we're still grappling with the issue of diversity in engineering; but, we are making progress. 

Measurable progress, even in the face of growing anti-affirmative action sentiment, can be made as Black college graduates obtain entry-level jobs in a very opportunistic atmosphere, industry observers suggest. Valente stresses that with the scarcity of people in the business, there's plenty of opportunity. It's so under-staffed right now. There's a very big demand for qualified people with some experience.