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Several thousand students along with their families attended the in-person Ontario Universities Fair (OUF) this year. They visited the booths of various renowned universities and collected information to help them make probably one of the biggest decisions of their lives, a decision that will influence their career and in a broader sense, the person they become.

As a current undergrad student at the University of Waterloo who was in the same place a few years ago, I couldn’t help but see a reflection of myself in these students. 

As a third-year student, here are three things I wish I knew during my first year.

Back in 2016 when I started my bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Financial Management (AFM), I was eager to explore Canada. I felt that my program’s co-op work terms would provide the best opportunity to fulfill this dream. I remember in 2018, I applied to all small cities and secluded spots for my first co-op work term. Although it was scary at first, the idea of exploring new places has always fascinated me. 

Exploring my interests and preparing for a VUCA World

What started out as a volunteer experience in 2017, has ended up becoming one of my most memorable co-op terms. The idea of providing basic life necessities to those in need has always been something I’ve supported in some shape or form. Thankfully, my co-op term with Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Canada has allowed me to get one step closer to achieving this goal.

Hi, I’m Shashwat, a School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) student and I was on my first co-op term during Winter 2021. Boy was it a weird time to be working! I was working as a Financial Analyst at a Data Analytics company and some of my responsibilities included developing financial performance projections and preparing the financial statements for year-end.

At first, I was scared of entering my first ever co-op because I had no real work-experience prior, however, the BETS program really came in clutch and helped me enter my first co-op placement extremely prepared.

Reposted from LinkedIn with permission.

This fall, I entered my second year of university in the Accounting and Financial Management program and began to search for my first co-op job. Given the backdrop of the global pandemic, I knew that the process would be more challenging than usual.

I was not exactly sure what to expect about university or co-op. Job application? Who is she? Despite all of this, the Launch Your Career conference organized by SAF opened my eyes to a wide array of opportunities that I would have been too scared to think about months ago.

I know how daunting the thought of a job search can be. For this very reason, as September came to an end, I was eager to attend the Launch Your Career event!