Alison Baird (any), a third-year Gender and Social Justice student discusses how they made the most of their experience working in the University of Waterloo’s Sustainability Office and how she approaches applying to a co-op position.
Alison’s co-op journey:
Work term one: As an event co-ordinator at Waterloo in the Women in Computer Science (WiCS) department, Alison helped organize events. He also handled communications and managed administrative tasks.
Work term two and three: Alison’s second and third co-op role was with Waterloo’s Sustainability Office as a communications and engagement assistant. Here, their role focused on communications and event planning. She also created modules for the Green Residence program and ensured all projects ran on time.
Q&A with Alison:
What do you like about the culture?
“The Sustainability Office really prioritizes student development and encourages students to get what they want from the job. There have been many instances where my supervisor has asked me "Is there anything else that you want to learn?” or "Are there any courses that you're interested in taking?”. I feel really supported in my learning.”
“I am not an Environment student, like most students who typically work in the Sustainability Office. So, I wanted to learn more about the context for the sustainability initiatives we were doing.”
“For example, we were pulling garlic mustard while we were doing some tree planting, which is a local invasive species. I had heard of invasive species before, but I hadn't studied them at great length. Since the Sustainability Office places so much value on professional development, I could ask my manager to sign up for an invasive species lecture.”
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced when it comes to co-op?
“It's always the application term that gives me the most trouble. It’s hard to try and find jobs, especially because I don't like moving, so I search for roles in the Waterloo Region.”
“My biggest piece of advice, especially for students in the Faculty of Arts, is to advertise any and all experience you have that may be applicable to the job. I also find it’s easier to do tailored applications, rather than a bunch of mass applications.”
“I recommend this because there just aren't that many jobs that I find I am qualified for, so trying to apply to 150, 100 or even 50 jobs can be really difficult. I also recommend it because when I spend more time tailoring an application, I get better results.”
“The actual jobs themselves have been pretty painless.”
What would you tell future students in your position?
“I haven't met anybody else who is in both Gender and Social Justice and the co-op program, so I would want to tell them that there are other students doing this too.”
“I'd also tell students to not overlook the co-op jobs on campus.”
“My Waterloo jobs allowed me to learn a lot more about what is happening on campus. I also found that on-campus employers are ready for co-op students.”
“Most are willing to let you take a course during your term and are ready to teach you anything you need to do your job.”
What's next for you?
"I'll be going into my 3B term so I'm a little bit past the halfway mark in my degree. I have one more eight-month co-op. After that I'm going to finish my degree, try and do well and then get a job that I like doing.”
“I will also be moving to Northern Ontario because it's very hot here.”
