A True Career Fair Nightmare

I just started my first software engineering internship in a completely new state — far from my home in Texas, I’m spending the summer in Rochester, New York. Moving across the country for this opportunity was a huge change, but the journey to get here wasn’t easy. One moment that really stood out was at a career fair back home, where I faced some unexpected challenges that tested my confidence and helped shape how I approached finding the right internship. Here’s what happened and what I learned from it.

Where it Started

I wasn’t one of those students who landed an internship in high school. And during my freshman year of college, I didn’t apply to any roles or attend the career fair either. I wanted time to figure out what kind of engineering truly interested me. I liked software, I liked hardware, but I wasn’t sure where I fit when it came to specific roles.

To be honest, I was a bit “behind” the typical timeline. I took precalculus during my freshman year, so I wasn’t officially in my major yet when I started looking for internships in the fall of sophomore year. Still, I decided to go to the career fair anyway.

I went in with a short list of companies I wanted to talk to, mainly for practice with recruiters, since I had already started building connections and was working on getting an internship on my own. I knew I wanted to work in software, but I didn’t have a clear direction on which field or industry. So, I treated the fair like a warm-up: I planned to talk to a few smaller companies before approaching the one I was really interested in, the one I already had an interview lined up with.

---

The Career Fair Moment I’ll Never Forget

I approached one smaller software company (that I won’t name), thinking this would be a low-pressure interaction. The recruiter asked for my resume and began to skim through it. Then he laughed. Not smiled. Not chuckled. Laughed, while looking at what I thought were my proudest accomplishments. I froze. I never expected a recruiter to react like that. He said, “Sorry, it’s been a long day,” and kept reading… then laughed again! At that point, I felt humiliated. He told me I should remove “game design” from my resume because, in his words, “no one will take you seriously.” I was stunned. Not only because of the way he said it, but because I had just overheard him having a friendly conversation with a freshman who talked about developing a Roblox game and not once did he criticize that. So why was my game design experience any less valid? I left that table as fast as I could, trying to process what had just happened.

---

What I Learned

I’m now living my best life, enjoying every moment of my new software engineering internship. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is being okay with not knowing as much as the people around me and focusing on my own growth instead of comparing myself to others. I’ve realized that not everyone will see your worth right away, but understanding where you stand compared to those in your dream role is crucial. It helps you identify the skills and experiences you need to develop so you can keep growing and move closer to your goals.

Looking back, I’m actually glad that difficult interaction happened. Because I didn’t end up working with that company, I found a place that was better, somewhere that saw my potential and gave me the chance to grow.

If you’re reading this and have ever felt small, overlooked, or embarrassed, let me just say: don’t let it define you. You can still succeed. You will find your place. Sometimes the wrong opportunity shows up first — just to clear the way for the right one.