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Login to our student portal to find external career opportunities submitted to our department. You can also contact Columbia Career Education (CCE) to find information about job opportunities and on-campus events, and to obtain help with preparing a resume. An outside service that is not affiliated with Columbia University, but might also be useful, can be found at AfterCollege. General information on electrical engineering careers can be found at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) web site.
The department also has a number of academic positions that are open to students:
- Teaching Assistant (TA) - roughly 20 hrs./week with significant responsibility, including extensive interaction with students. Generally allocated through the PhD admission process.
- Course Assistant - roughly 10-15 hrs./week, including interaction with students. Generally filled by MS students who have the particular type of experience needed each semester. Compensation consists of a stipend that is larger than that for a grader.
- Lab Assistant (LA) - roughly 10 hrs./week, including helping students during undergraduate teaching lab sessions and grading. Generally filled by juniors or seniors who have taken the course. Compensation consists of a stipend.
- Grader - roughly 10 hrs./week, primarily dealing with homework assignments. Applications are kept on file and searched for candidates as instructors request graders, so the hiring process continues throughout the semester. Compensation consists of a stipend.
To apply, fill out a short Assistant/Grader/LA Application Form and submit it to the EE department administrator, Kevin Corridan (1300 Mudd Bldg., kc101 at columbia.edu). Unfortunately the number of open positions each semester is relatively small (e.g., 3 course assistants and 10 graders, mostly for 4000- and 6000-level courses), but the form is simple and anyone interested is encouraged to place his or her name in the applicant pool. The forms are used to help find potential matching candidates when positions arise - CVs and interviews may be requested later, but are not needed initially. If you get a follow-up response, it will likely be by the third week of the semester as enrollment numbers become clearer. But searches do occasionally occur later if a course is determined to need extra help at that time, so there is no clear end to the hiring process. Please submit a new application before each semester.
