Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Bridging the Gap to the Future www.alpha6294.com Alphabet (Continued from page 1) President Andrew Szoke '23 Vice President Jonah Whitt '23 Treasurer Paul Kratsios '24 House Manager Trent Burton '25 Recruitment Chairman Marcus Morgan '24 recruitmentofalphachapter@gmail.com Secretary Erik Swee '24 Scholarship Chairman Luc Trombley '24 Membership Educator Mike Egnaczyk '23 Chapter Officers of jobs and insights from industry experts. The website launched with a collection of short videos featuring students who shadow an engineering professional for the day, learn about their job, and ask various questions about career success. This video content has grown exponentially in the years since, and Expertise Project partners with employers and educators to keep providing relevant content from the technical workforce (such as engineering and construction). "We believe that if people become more aware of one another and understand the employers and careers that surround them locally, less time will be wasted starting and stopping career paths that are ill-fitting for candidates and frustrating for employers," Mike explained. "We use a variety of techniques to increase awareness." Expertise Project aims to close the gap between schoolwork and workplace skills, and Mike is hopeful that it will become an asset for all technical students and employers in New York and the Northeastern U.S. to make meaningful connections. In the beginning, Mike believed that the organization would benefit from a natural desire to share ideas with new generations. "While that's true [to a degree], it was also naïve," he said. "Adults and students feel too busy to 'waste hours' on something like career discovery and mentoring, so we all end up wasting years in the process. But if people feel like they can help address an urgent need (like helping educators makes their curriculum feel relevant therefore engaging, or helping employers recruit), then you can build up a project (and a business) that can thrive." Expertise Project identifies urgent needs in technical fields—the most crucial being that expertise doesn't just vanish when people retire—and helps address those needs by creating useful content and professional networks. Mike learned about the importance of networking as a brother of Theta Xi. His fondest memories came from the "missions" his brothers would pursue together, such as road trips or house and campus events. Theta Xi also gave Mike a group of close friends, some of whom became roommates when he first moved to a large and unknown city after graduation. Since he still lives near RPI, Mike frequently involves local students in Expertise Project and its networking opportunities. "Solving any big problem on a large scale always starts by solving the problem at home," he explained. While Mike hasn't kept up with Theta Xi as much as he'd like between family and career responsibilities, he sees the organization as a great opportunity for Alpha Chapter. "Mapping out the career paths and insights of our alumni can only help brothers find mentors and career opportunities that were hidden to us at that age. Plus, it'd be fun." Mike serves on the engineering faculty at Hudson Valley Community College—a role he began in 2020 to better understand the challenges faced by today's students. To connect with Mike and learn more about his work, you can reach him at m.baron@hvcc.edu or visit expertiseproject.org. Students in the Expertise Project experimenting with virtual reality headsets. Mike Baron '06 founded the Expertise Project in 2016, which gives aspiring engineers more exposure to a variety of jobs. "Solving any big problem on a large scale always starts by solving the problem at home."

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