Cultivating a career in sustainability
Tara Linehan used her co-op experiences to discover where her interests lay in sustainability while choosing employers whose values aligned with her own.
Tara Linehan, a fourth-year Sustainability and Financial Management student specializing in Government Policy and Financial Markets, followed her own path in pursuit of sustainability work she’s passionate about.
Tara’s co-op journey
Corporate Finance Student, Ontario Power Generation, Toronto, ON
Working on the Corporate Finance team, Tara supported bookkeeping activities and month‑end close processes, including journal entries and variance analysis.
Staff Accountant, KPMG, Montreal, ON
Tara conducted financial statement audits for clients, performing audit procedures and documentation in both French and English.
Compliance Analyst, Definity Financial Insurance, Waterloo, ON
She supported the Enterprise Risk Management team by identifying and analyzing risk opportunities related to financial policies and environmental, social and governance factors.
Carbon Analyst, Acuicy, Waterloo, ON (remote)
Working as this startup company’s first co-op student, Tara helped develop software that assisted companies in looking for their return on investments and the carbon emissions impact. She was responsible for finding viable solutions for the companies based on their equipment and assets.
Q&A with Tara
Why did you choose the Sustainability and Financial Management program at Waterloo?
“My brother went to Waterloo and always stressed the importance of the co-op program as it gives you work experience while helping you fund some of your university fees. Waterloo has a lot of opportunities that other schools don't have. The Waterloo job board is massive and offers many jobs that aren't listed publicly because they know they want to hire a University of Waterloo student.”
“Co-op was one reason I chose Waterloo, the other factor was being intrigued by the new, unique environment program they opened. Sustainability and Financial Management is a good blend of a niche, growing industry and I’m grateful to have been one of the first students to pursue this opportunity.”
What has been the most rewarding thing about co-op?
“Working for a growing startup in clean technology was fairly rewarding. From my first week, when the platform had fairly limited data, to now, when the work I did is being refined, tested and updated. It’s always going to be fulfilling to know I was a key member in developing and growing their software."
"Since we were such a small team, I was able to fully experience the impact of the work I was doing. I got to see very clear outputs for the research I've done and the countless hours I put in; it’s quite rewarding to know I'm making an honest impact as a student and contributing to something larger than myself.”
“Being able to get real world experience makes a big difference because you're seeing how the job force works and how you can apply your broader academic skills to your career. Being able to work with so many people that have been in the workforce longer and learning how to make an impact is rewarding. Their guidance can help with the feeling of imposter syndrome in your degree, and ease the nerves of not knowing what you're doing. Co-op allows you to explore different fields and gives you the opportunity to apply your degree in the workforce before you finish your studies.”
What advice could you offer another co-op student?
“Pick something you're passionate about. Interviewers can see through lies and scripts, so you should genuinely talk about ideas off the top of your head and show care towards what you're speaking about. I'm very passionate about sustainability, which is something I consistently try to sell in the jobs I apply for. This often works out and the odd times it doesn’t usually indicate that the role is not of interest to you anyways. Showing how passionate you are and being yourself are huge aspects of landing a well-matched job for yourself. Applying for a job is a two-way street; make sure you want the job as much as they want you. The interview is not just about whether the hiring panel wants to hire you, it’s an opportunity to see if you want to work for and represent the company.”
“I would also advise other students to be honest and not shy away from talking about hobbies or topics that don’t seem related to the job during their interviews. Interviewers have shifted the conversation as they were interested in my personal life and showing the hiring panel who I am makes me stand out long-term. I’ve passed through final rounds of interviews I wasn’t fully qualified for because of this. If you're able to make the interviewer laugh and have a casual conversation, I think that’s what makes you memorable.”
How has co-op helped you with your career goals?
“It's been useful, even in the way of finding out what I don't want. All my co-ops were different types of accounting jobs which helped me realize the branches I know I would not thrive in and the ones I could potentially see myself working in long-term.”
“The School of Accounting and Finance naturally leads students towards accounting jobs, which after my work-terms, I discovered wasn’t up my alley. Without having the opportunity to figure my preferences out early on I could have been starting a career path post-grad that I thought was right for me. With co-op you can try something out for four months and create your own personalized path.”
How did you adjust when moving to different cities for your co-ops?
“One of my main goals when coming to Waterloo was being able to try new job environments. Meeting new people and navigating the housing market was challenging. Thankfully I had friends who we’re also doing their co-ops in Toronto and living downtown so I didn’t feel alone."
"Then, moving to Québec, a new, bilingual province and working for a company with no other Waterloo students was a big adjustment. I was lucky to have friends who went to universities in Montréal who helped me find roommates during that work term, and help me adjust to the new city.”
“Being able to move to a city for a job in order to try something new has been impactful because it's realistically what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. It's nice to try it out for four months to see different cities I might be interested in later.”
What's next for you?
“My immediate next steps are finalizing my degree by completing my fourth year and graduating. Other than that, my options are still very open since there's not an alumnus who has the same bachelor's degree background as me to use as guidance. There’s no one I can directly inspire myself from; I'm going to have to choose and create my own path.”
“My plan at the moment is to look into a few graduate programs and further my interest in the world of sustainability. I have already found a handful of master's programs that seem interesting that I plan on applying to. I'm also most likely going to be applying for jobs as well, searching for any positions that pique my interest. My overall goal is to simply keep my options open.”