How to Prepare for ESEC 2026
ESEC is a unique chance for EngSci students to talk directly to experienced professionals and start building professional connections.
A bit of prep will help you get the most out of the conference, so the ESEC team has compiled resources to help you prepare.
ESEC Prep Workshop: Getting the Most Out of Your ESEC Experience
Years 1 & 2 EngScis: Join this professional development workshop to build your skills. You'll leave feeling more confident, present, and prepared for meaningful engagement in a professional setting like the ESEC experience.
You will learn:
- How to navigate new interactions with ease
- How to view "networking" as "relationship-building"
- How to prepare for a networking situation
- How to be a good listener
- The art of asking good professional questions at a conference or 1:1
We will explore mindsets that support your personal and professional growth, empowering you to explore diverse career pathways and possibilities.
These skills are more important than ever and will help you throughout your career.
Register for the Fireside Chats
Thursday, Jan. 22 | 6:10 pm - 7:40 pm | MY 5th floor atrium
Join the party and come meet our ESEC speakers for a chat in small, informal groups.
Join us for unstructured and open conversations about any career- or life-related questions you may have. EngSci alumni volunteers will facilitate the chats.
Open to all EngSci students from Year 1 to Year 4!
Do Your Homework!
Before the conference visit the Speakers page to learn about each speaker and read their talk abstract.
Make a list of questions that come to mind to help you interact with them!
It could be about where they see their industry sector, how they make important decisions, advice on how to prepare for the future as a young engineer, or anything else.
REMEMBER: The best questions are ones that will be of interest to your classmates too, and for which you can't easily find the answer on Google.
Think broadly—it's not every day that undergraduate students get to speak personally with such experienced professionals to learn from them.
Need help coming up with conference questions?
COMING SOON! Download some ideas here.
Download the ESEC Conference Package
Our speakers will share powerful insights into different engineering-related industries and great career advice for EngSci students.
Download the ESEC 2026 Conference Package, which includes handy reflection sheets and prompts especially for students attending ESEC where you can take notes and reflect on your own priorities and aspirations based on what you're learning at the conference. There's also a list of question prompts to help you think of your own questions to ask our speakers.
You may also want to check out Troost ILead's upcoming career events.
Get to know the ESEC dress code: What does "Business Professional or Casual" mean?
At a professional event like ESEC, aim for a business professional or business casual appearance as you will be interacting with the speakers and representing our program.
The goal is for you to feel confident in your outfit, whether you choose to dress in business professional or business casual:
- Nice pants, slacks, skirts, or dresses
- No jeans, shorts, sundresses, or athletic wear
- Skirts and dresses should be at least knee length while standing
- Jackets should be either blazers or cardigans, no hoodies
- Cell phones should be kept out of sight with personal belongings
- Hair should be well groomed and styled
To learn more, click on the image and watch the video >>
Want to explore the EngSci majors?
Interested in learning about different EngSci options and what courses each option takes in the major years?
Check out the EngSci Orientation Blog with a detailed and accurate student perspective of each option (with a few additional "memes" added for good measure).
Need more official information about each major? Visit the official Engineering Science majors pages for a detailed description, FAQs about each major, and a sample of career options.
Learn how to network with YNCN!
Networking is a vital skill that will help you to connect with colleagues and professionals across a variety of platforms, and ESEC is the perfect opportunity for you to practice those skills!
The following article from You're Next Career Network (YNCN) on How to Network can help with pinpointing your professional goals. As well, it serves as a guide on how to find "warm" and "cold" leads, one of whom could potentially be a speaker at ESEC!
If you're not very fond of networking or believe that it's not that useful, check out the following article on 4 Things Networking Can Help You Do (Besides Get a Job) on the benefits of building a professional or social network.
© Engineering Science Education Conference 2026
Last updated on Jan. 9, 2026 by ESEC's Web Team