By: Hirumal Munasinghe
Participating as a student in University of Waterloo’s Co-operative Education Program can be an exciting, yet nerve-racking experience.
Even though Waterloo provides workshops, courses and advisors that help students find success in co-op, students seek advice and mentorship from other students and their co-op experiences. That’s why Waterloo co-op recently launched a new #MyCoopExperience blog to help students benefit through the experiences of their fellow students.
This blog is written by students, for students. It touches on common ideas within the co-op community and presents honest and helpful tips from experienced students. They share authentic ideas and stories from their time working and use these experiences to help provide insight on overcoming challenges, finding success in the workplace, networking with peers and much more. Not only that, but students partake in weekly Instagram takeovers to answer questions.
Blogs posted so far…
Maisha | 3A Health Sciences
Working where health care and technology meet
Andrea | 3B Mechatronics Engineering
Mentorship and making a difference at RBC
Miila | 4B Planning
Avoiding burnout while working in government
Andrew | 3B Arts and Business
A passion for political science in the workforce
Nickie Senthil Kumar, a 2nd year co-op student who works as the Social Media Campaign Coordinator at CEE is helping towards building the #MyCoopExperience campaign. She says, “It's has been exceptionally rewarding having the opportunity to interview multiple co-op students and learn more about their daily ventures and challenges. Every student has their unique story and different perspective on how much they have gained from co-op.”
The #MyCoopExperience blog showcases students from all faculties and touches on a variety of different work industries as well, capitalizing on the co-op program’s diverse opportunities of work. In the era of virtual learning and working there are always large adjustments that must be made, both in the way we work, and in our lifestyle. By widening the realm of content beyond just workplace experience, the #MyCoopExperience blog promotes student experience regarding healthy habits and practices that can be carried into any workplace.
Student-organized resources like #MyCoopExperience blog present authentic and valuable support to readers who are currently experiencing similar trials and triumphs. Make sure to check it out, a new blog is posted every week!
