By: Becky Smith
Searching for a co-op or a job that will start in the next 1-6 months? Worried about disruption from COVID-19? Consider searching for jobs in these very busy areas:
- Telehealth: This includes apps, chat bots, virtual reality and augmented reality (VR & AR), and online scheduling companies such as Teladoc Health, Firefly Health, Amwell, and Orbita
- Teleconferencing and EduTech: right now it’s so common to get training on line and conduct meeting and appointments on apps like Zoom, WebEx, MS Teams, or GoToMeeting! More companies are moving into this space to offer critically important training under today’s urgent circumstances.
- Ecommerce/Online Marketplace Platforms: Businesses and individuals are flocking to online marketplace and ecommerce sites such as BigCommerce, Shopify, Wix Ecommerce, Woo Ecommerce, and MIRAKL.
- Alleviating Social Isolation while practicing Social Distancing: Apps, on-line communities, social support and VR support groups are becoming more widely available for caregivers and elders. There are also companies helping patients and caregivers to collect and share data, for example, Folia Health and XR Health.
- Goodness knows we need enhanced cyber security for many of the services above!
- Data analysis and data sharing: companies SalesForce, Tableau (owned by SalesForce), Decision Point, and Splunk are providing access to their data resources and dashboards. This simulation in the Washington Post demonstrates how data science and mathematical modeling help us to understand epidemics and pandemics.
- One of the industries impacted least by the COVID-19 pandemic is life sciences. This includes biotech, pharma, and related sub-sectors. Manufacturing of medical devices and supplies, pharmaceuticals and therapeutics, and lab equipment must continue through shelter-in-place and economic downturn. Our society relies on these life-saving devices and treatments. Companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abbott, and Vertex are still hiring!
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Several companies in the business of product shipping are overwhelmed: Amazon, grocery stores, and Walmart to name a few! UberEats and Postmates are reducing and sometimes waiving fees for delivery…even more business. To help behind the scenes in a professional capacity, look for job titles with keywords such as “Operations”, “Supply Chain”, and “Logistics”.
- Web-based wellness communities are leveraging these unusual circumstances. This growth may present a need for marketing or operations support, programmers, software developers, technical support, and customer support!
- Large Government & Financial Institutions: What do Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Citi, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs & Department of Justice have in common? They all rely on mainframes and they are scrambling to gear up their legacy systems for COVID-related responses such as small business relief programs! Skills originating in past eras such as COBOL, Basic are in demand, along with SQL, HTML, and JavaScript.
Additional Resources:
Data for Good: The Tech Community’s Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, March 23, 2020
The Latest on the Coronavirus, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, updated daily
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/the-latest-on-the-coronavirus/
Here’s Who’s Hiring Right Now, LinkedIn, April 2, 2020
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-whos-hiring-right-now-andrew-seaman/
Thank you all for your patience during this challenging time. CO-OPS + CAREERS is here to support you! Do not hesitate to reach out directly to us with questions or concerns, by phone: 617.989.4101 or email: coopsandcareers@wit.edu.
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