A cheesy beginning with sharp growth in Nanotechnology
Martin Bissonnette turns diverse co‑op experiences into career confidence and offers practical advice for standing out in engineering roles.
Martin Bissonnette, a third-year Nanotechnology Engineering student, learned how unique strengths can open unexpected opportunities and encourages students to stay optimistic, treating each co‑op term as a step forward.
Martin’s co-op journey
Industrial engineer intern, Lactalis, Ingleside, ON
Martin mainly worked on AutoCAD drawings for different floor layouts and assembly lines for this cheese manufacturer. He also made drawings for parts that had to be manufactured, checking over the design specs and ensuring they could be included in the cheese manufacturing process.
Microelectronics component assembly intern, C2MI, Bromont, QC
Working in a cleanroom facility, Martin documented wafer-level packaging methods to embed chips into re-molded wafers for higher package density. He also worked with International Business Machines (IBM) on photonic wire bonds, creating photonic assemblies to measure the efficiency of photonic wire bond coupling methods. Martin then analyzed the data to understand how geometry and assembly choices affected performance, allowing the process to improve.
Research assistant, Irradiant Technologies, Boston, MA
He worked with the materials science team on a variety of nano fabrication processes to create high resolution three-dimensional structures delivering meaningful metrics for customer projects. Additionally, Martin worked with the mechanical and materials teams to optimize and automate various processes, speeding up experiments’ turnaround time and ensuring delivery targets were met.
Q&A with Martin
What has been the most challenging thing about your co-op experience?
“Definitely imposter syndrome. Most of my friends in my program were getting these crazy co-ops and travelling to different places in the world. I was nervous but was able to overcome that feeling when I got my position at C2MI. I mainly got the position because there aren't many French speaking students applying from Waterloo, so I had an advantage. This made me realize small things can differentiate you from your classmates and help land you the job, regardless of your grades or level of experience.”
“With my applications, I tried to do quality over quantity. A lot of my classmates were sending out hundreds of applications while I was trying to tailor little things on my résumés and cover letters to get that slight edge and stand out. I would say that both methods work well for the first few co-op searches, but as you gain experience, tailoring your résumés and cover letters is definitely the way to go.”
How has your co‑op experience given you an advantage in preparing for the workforce?
“It definitely helps with getting a variety of experiences in different fields; I’ve worked in industrial engineering, semiconductors and now photonics and optics. Getting the opportunity to work in different sizes of companies is also a big advantage.”
“Lactalis was a giant corporation where I had all of these documents I had to follow anytime I needed to make a change. Similarly, C2MI was a larger-scale research group; they also had somewhat of a format to follow. On the other hand, Irradiant is composed of 20-30 people and is very free flowing. I got to experience three company sizes which is the biggest advantage I've gotten out of co-op. I now have a clear idea of the pros and cons of each of them and I learned what I enjoy most.”
“Co-op also granted me the opportunity to travel. I started by working in my hometown, then in Quebec and later worked in Boston. I've gotten to travel a lot more than many of my other colleagues which gives me a better idea of the types of environments I will seek in the future.”
How have you eased the transition when relocating for the different positions you’ve held?
“When relocating for my co-ops, I found that having a hobby or activity to pursue in my new location helped me feel more comfortable. For me, this was snowboarding out in Québec, while further practicing my French skills, and in Boston I started running and exploring the city.”
What did you enjoy about your company's culture?
“If I came up with an idea or if I had a design of experiments I wanted to do, my employers would take the time to look at it or even just send me straight to using the machines to follow through with my idea. I enjoyed how trusting and respectful they were towards us co-op students. I was very fortunate that they truly wanted us to have the most and best experiences.”
What is one piece of advice you could give to a future co-op student?
“Students have to realize what happens first-year, even what happens after the first three years, doesn't determine or set your entire career path. A lot of people, myself included, stress out about grades and experience after first-year. I have a friend who got a less enjoyable co-op at first, followed by getting no co-op, to then working in the space industry. It's crazy the jumps people can have in between co-ops. I’d advise students to not put themselves in a box, keep their hopes high and have some confidence.”
What's next for you?
“I want to continue down the same path I’ve been on. My goal is to travel and see more of the world, explore different types of companies and maybe even different fields.”
