Embracing small town life: managing co-op in Alberta, Canada
Saarth Rajan (he/him) an international student studying Honours Mathematics in his 2A term. He discusses his experience living, working and making connections in small town Alberta.
Saarth's co-op journey
Work term one: Saarth worked as an information technology (IT) systems engineer at the Alberta Newsprint Company. He was tasked with software development and quality assurance (QA) testing automation.
Q&A with Saarth
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your co-op experience?
“I would say learning new things. There are technical skills that are picked up through working with people, knowing how an office functions, the work environment, your responsibilities and how to work with deadlines. That's stuff you can't learn in school.”
How has co-op helped with your career goals?
“This experience highlighted what fields I want to go into. The workplace was somewhere I hadn't been before. I got to learn about what types of tasks people do when you are working in an IT department. It also helped me identify what I'm interested in, like software development and automation.”
What is the most memorable experience you've had from your co-op term?
“Hanging out with my co-workers after or during work. On our lunch break we would end up playing games, talking or roaming around the office. Even after work, we would hang out at a bar or something and watch hockey.”
“It was also memorable to get my own project, work in the production environment and experience things I wouldn't have the opportunity to work on at school or during my free time.”
"I got to meet new people from different universities, from different cities and even from different countries. It was nice to make those connections”
“I was working in a small town, two hours outside of Edmonton, Alberta and there was a game jam that was taking place in person in Edmonton that I really wanted to participate in. The only problem was that the public transportation in Alberta is super inconvenient."
"I asked around the office if there was anyone who could drive me. I ended up asking my boss if he knew anyone who was driving to Edmonton and he said he would take me. So my boss drove me to Edmonton for the game jam.”
“I think this speaks to the memorable company culture in my work term. I felt supported by my boss and he really wanted me to experience everything.”
What have you learned from your co-op experience?
“I learned a lot of technical skills, like working with Python and JavaScript. I also learned a lot about working in production and software testing. We worked on this project where we created an AI chatbot which basically answers any questions about the company and acts as a ticketing system."
"If you have something that is not working or if you want to request a software or service, you can just ask the chatbot and it will either automate your request or relay it to IT.”
“But most of all, I improved my people skills. I collaborated with different people on projects and I helped train two new hires.”
What have you gained from this experience that you will carry into the future?
“I have more experience on my résumé now. I learned how to present myself in a workplace. I also got to learn about working with deadlines in a work environment.”
“Meeting new people, working with people from different backgrounds with different skill sets. This experience allowed me to know more about people and I made friends there, which was nice.”
“Also surviving in a small town. I'd never lived in a small town before and the perks of a close-knit community away from big cities gave me a new perspective.”
Do you have any advice for other co-op students?
“Work hard, but don’t exhaust yourself. Co-op gives you a chance to work on yourself, work on your skills and be productive in the workplace. But it is also a time to take a break from your studies.”
“Don’t limit yourself to applying only though WaterlooWorks, talk to people and build connections. Applying externally could open other opportunities you have never considered. Don’t be too upset if you don't get a job in the first few cycles, the application and interview process is tiring. I got my job just weeks before my co-op term started.”
What's next for you?
“Exploring different opportunities, seeing what fits best. Working on my own projects to solve real world problems. Trying new experiences and meeting new people.”