On February 24^th, Nichols College Career Services will host its annual Career and Internship Fair. This event starts at 1p.m. and goes until 3:30p.m. in the Athletic Center. Professional attire is not required, but strongly preferred.

There are 73 businesses that will be in attendance at the 2015 Nichols College Annual Career & Internship Fair.  Some employers that will be in attendance include Nordstrom, New England Revolution, State Street Corporation, Monster, Mohegan Sun, Lowes, Ford, Fidelity Investments and Federal Bureau of Investigation – Boston. These employers are offering a variety of potential opportunities for students, alumni and community members. These opportunities include roughly 105 full-time positions, 40 internships, a variety of part-time work and so much more! Not to mention, there will be over 25 alumni who have made their way back to campus seeking to hire members from the Nichols community.

There will be tables set up all around the Athletic Center so make sure to grab a map to find where the companies’ tables are located.  Countless people have told me how grateful they are for the Career & Internship Fair because it is where they found current and past internships and also made many connections.

Are you in need of a professional headshot for LinkedIn? There will be a booth set up in the main entrance of the Athletic Center to have your LinkedIn profile pictures taken. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity! Keeping your profile picture current and professional will allow employers to recognize you more easily and give them the ability to imagine you working with them.

Networking is an integral part of the Career Fair and business world alike. Going to this event means you can connect with more people, IF you make a genuine effort to talk with them. This is a great chance for you to step out of your comfort zone and have conversations with people you have never met. To be successful in the business world you have to be willing to approach anyone without being afraid. This comes with much practice, but the earlier you start the better off you will be. This event is mandatory for juniors and seniors; however, it is strongly recommended for freshman and sophomores to attend for the experience. The more you expose yourself to new people and professional situations, the stronger networking skills you will possess.

The Nichols College Bicentennial Committee is pleased to welcome Captain Richard Phillips to campus on Sunday February 22^nd at 7pm in the athletic center. In addition to the event at 7pm, we invite you to join us for a special screening of the film, Captain Phillips, at 3pm in the Fels Student Center. Both events are free and open to the public.

This riveting film is inspired by the true story of the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking, an incident during which merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean led by Abduwali Muse. His story of courage and heroism to save his crew and the ship they sailed has inspired people from all walks of life.

Be sure to mark your calendars!

On February 3, 2015 Professor Mark Naigles and freshman Russell Katz, enlightened the audience about the growing popularity of encrypted money, also known as Crypto-Currency. The history behind money is fascinating, dating back to BC and even earlier, if bartering is considered legal tender. Professor Naigles covered the Gold Standard. Did you know that when the gold standard was in use, you could bring a $100 bill to a bank and exchange it for $100 worth of gold? This was primarily used from 1875-1914.

Russell Katz presented next, talking about the background of encryption and tying it into money. Bitcoin is encrypted currency, currency that is not easily traceable because it has an internet coded “lock” on it. Bitcoin has been all over the news for the last few years, most commonly associated with the backroom “black market” site, The Silk Road. However, it is not just illegal websites that accept Bitcoins. Many reputable businesses accept payment in Bitcoins, for example, Overstock. But Bitcoins have been the center of the black market scandal, which has very much tarnished their image. Katz stressed that “Bitcoin itself is not the future, but crypto-currency is.” He believes that encrypted money is not going anywhere, and in the future, it will be a major business asset.

Susan Wayman, Director of The Fischer Institute, plans to bring more events about crypto-currency to campus. This is an important topic in the business world and, though small right now, it will continue to rise in popularity. Look for Part 2 of The Crypto-Currency Revolution.