Come for the Merch, Stay for the Opportunities

Let’s be honest—when it comes to any college career or graduate school fair, recruiters have mastered the art of drawing students in with everything from stress balls and pens to candy and branded sticky notes. But keeping them there? Oftentimes, that’s a different story.

This challenge, however, was overcome by the 2025 SPSCon Career Expo and Grad School Fair. Occurring each day of the three-day conference, the Expo offered attendees a vibrant hub of discovery and career exploration. The free goodies were just the icing on the cake!

One of the major draws was the dozen or more professional societies and outreach organizations. Many of these groups, such as the American Association of Physics Teachers, the National Society of Hispanic Physicists, and the Shadow the Scientists program, represented specialized, physics-centered communities rarely found at standard university career fairs.

A standout outreach organization was the Little Shop of Physics, a science engagement program based at Colorado State University’s College of Natural Sciences. The group’s booth featured over a dozen hands-on demonstrations, including a photoelectric effect salad spinner. It was a fun and inspiring break from the formal atmosphere of the event.

As for graduate program offerings, there were an astounding 45 schools and specialty booths. On the university side, representatives were excited to share information with undergraduate students standing shoulder to shoulder, waiting to hear what each school had to offer. Whether speaking with Georgia Tech or the Max Planck School of Photonics, each conversation was a fantastic opportunity to find potential connections and advisors. Bianca Hassan, a student at Davidson College, told us that the prospect of choosing a graduate school sometimes seems daunting. She advises SPS members who attend the next SPSCon to visit each booth and “block everyone else out to see what they have in store at their universities.”

The Expo also featured a section of potential employers, which grabbed our attention. At the Lockheed Martin booth, we had the opportunity to connect with recruiters one-on-one about space-related careers. For those into manufacturing and engineering, ThorLabs and other top employers offered advice on the job market, and their representatives helped to put faces to large corporations.

All of us had a great time at the SPSCon Career Expo and Grad School Fair; there was so much to learn and take away! Other physics students seemed to agree with us. “If you’re a physicist, you will definitely find your people here,” said Mason Chadwick, a student at the University of Maine. Talking to other schools for the first time, he said, “feels inspiring and motivating for the future.”