The longtime career coach is helping Engineering students break into the burgeoning Southern Nevada tech start-up market.
Alejandro Chacon is the coordinator for the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering’s new StepUp & StartUp internship program. The program connects future engineers and computer scientists with local startup companies for internships paid for by the university. (Becca Schwartz/UNLV)
As the mariachi music reached a crescendo to welcome President Bill Clinton to the stage in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Alejandro Chacon had a choice to make.
Playing bass guitar, Chacon was worried that if he took his hands from the strings the group would lose tempo. This was the narrative playing through his mind as Mr. Clinton reached toward him with an outstretched hand.
“I didn’t shake it right away — I left him hanging for a little bit because I didn’t want to stop,” said Chacon. “But, looking at the scowls from the secret service agents and from my director, I ended up stopping for a little bit and shaking his hand.”
It’s a minor faux pas that Chacon, who leads the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering’s new StepUp & StartUp internship program, would counsel his students to avoid.
“I tell my students to not just work on their career-specific skills, but to also work on soft skills: communication, teamwork, work ethic,” he said.
And, getting that handshake right during an interview for that coveted job or internship.
“Employers all around the world are saying the same thing: that the new workforce for some reason are lacking a lot of the soft skills, which used to be a given for anybody,” Chacon said.
As internship coordinator for StepUp & StartUp — a first-of-its-kind UNLV program that connects future engineers and computer scientists with local startup companies for internships paid for by the university — Chacon advises countless students on available opportunities in the local tech landscape and helps them develop a vision for their careers, and a pathway to achieve their goals.
“My job is not to tell students what they should do, but to help them find what they want to do,” he said.
Learn more about Alejandro and the StepUp & StartUp Program on UNLV Today: https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/interview-alejandro-chacon?utm_source=unlvtoday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=unlvtoday-20231204