EAST HARLEM — A group of middle school students got a first-hand look at careers in engineering during a visit to Time Warner Cable Monday afternoon.
None of them were put on hold.
The students, from Isaac Newton Middle School for Math and Science, talked with engineers, technology operators and information technology experts about what it’s like to work for Time Warner Cable.
“How did you get your job?” a seventh grader asked Randal Roy, who works in the technology operations department.
“I love video games and I love to play video games online,” Roy said. “But they wouldn’t always work so I got a job as a technician to learn how to fix the problem.”
The idea behind the visit was to expose the students to careers in math and science, said Barbara Glassman, managing director of external engagement for the nonprofit Citizen Schools.
Citizen Schools has teamed up with Isaac Newton to run their after-school program, which extends their day by three hours. After the regular school day is over, Citizen Schools brings in full-time teachers and volunteers from companies like Google and Facebook, Glassman said.
The volunteers teach 10-week apprenticeship courses in different subjects like coding, engineering and financial literacy, she added.
At Time Warner Cable, the students visited their server room, where they learned what goes into making their televisions and Internet connection work 24/7.
“Does someone have to work here 24 hours?” a sixth grader asked.
“We work in shifts, but sometimes like when there’s a storm we have to stay here,” Roy said. “During the last storm I came in Monday morning and went home at midnight on Tuesday.”
