Stanley Miao (he/him) is a fourth-year Computer Science student. Sharing his experience, he talks about co-op broadening his perspective and the excitement associated with research.
Stanley's co-op journey:
Work term one: For his first work term, Stanley worked at the IO Foundation, a non-profit organization. As a software developer, he worked on projects related to COVID-19.
Work term two: At YuJa, Stanley worked on a software development project related to test proctoring.
Work term three: As a software developer at a Toronto-based startup tilr, he worked on multiple projects related to development.
Work term four: In his last co-op term, Stanley was a research assistant at SINTEF Digital in Oslo, Norway.
Q&A with Stanley:
How would you describe your co-op experience in one word?
“Eye-opening. It opened my eyes to being in a professional environment. Co-op has allowed me to have such varied and amazing experiences in different parts of the world, which has helped me grow as a person and given me perspective. It’s taught me so much about myself and what I’m passionate about.”
What are some highlights from your term in Oslo, Norway?
“In terms of my work, getting a fascinating result in my research was definitely a highlight, as well as presenting my work at a conference in front of a large audience of AI researchers and industry leaders.”
“Outside of the workplace, I got to hike many beautiful hiking trails in Oslo, especially in September when it was warm.”
“When I was in Trondheim for the NorwAI Innovate Conference, other students showed me around the city. I went to Bergen alone and took an amazing fjord cruise.”
“Towards the end of the term, my partner visited Oslo too! We took a trip to Tromsø, in the Arctic Circle.”
“It was absolutely incredible seeing the northern lights and we also experienced some Norwegian Christmas traditions with my research group at SINTEF.”
What was the most interesting project that you worked on?
“At my last co-op with SINTEF Digital, I was working on quantum reservoir computing, which was very interesting. It’s a new research area in quantum machine learning. There were many technical aspects and I enjoyed working on this project.”
“Throughout all of my co-ops, I liked that I had to learn something new for everything I worked on. I like learning new things and I would have to dig through documentation to find an answer or learn some new quantum computing topic to achieve the next step in whatever I was working on.”
“I was helping build and promote a software package which was a lot of fun, and the research topic was something new and almost unbelievable.”
What motivates you at work?
“Whenever I’m assigned a task and I work through it, I can get lost in the material. It seems like a mammoth task sometimes and I wonder how I’m going to get the programming done or achieve a certain outcome. Building upon the knowledge I have and trying new things to get results is what motivates me.”
“Sometimes you're solving a problem and then suddenly an unexpected result pops up right in front of you. Other times you're solving a problem, and nothing comes out of it, so you have to go back to the drawing board. The excitement at the possibility of a cool breakthrough motivates me.”
What advice do you have for other students?
“Find what you’re interested in and focus on that. Genuinely understand what you’re interested in and find work aligns with that. I’ve realized that when I’m genuinely passionate about something, it’s easier for me to write a cover letter or talk about it in interviews. It also makes the job easier and more enjoyable if I get it.”
“Another piece of advice I would offer is if you have the opportunity to travel or do an international co-op, take it. It’s an amazing experience and you won’t regret it.”
What’s next for you?
“I really like working in research environments.”
“So, after graduating I want to do my master’s.”
"Co-op has allowed me to explore and gain experience in other fields as well, so if I want to consider other options, they are available and within reach.”