Systems design engineering students have a slight advantage when experiencing the excellent co-op system at UW. With their wide range of skills and knowledge, SyDe students have the flexibility to apply to a wide range of co-op jobs spanning many different disciplines of engineering. Here are some examples of where co-op students have worked in the past.
Westinghouse Electric Co.
Designing, building, and testing high-voltage switchboards using AutoCAD, installing computer networks, working with heavy machinery
John Deere Works
Rearranging the assembly line for maximum efficiency
Cutler-Hammer
Product development, created transfer-switch power distribution centers, detailed drawings, parts procurement, assembly of prototypes
Microsoft Corp., Seattle, WA
Project manager, hosted meetings with developers, testers, other team members to plan, organize, and manage projects.
University of Waterloo, Faculty of Engineering
Teaching Assistant - Conducting tutorials for undergraduate students, grading assignments
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)- Engineering & Construction Dept.
Worked with project manager, learning the position and responsibilities of project manager, made drawings, revisions to better the subway line
Thinknet Inc.
Built prototype of code generator that took UML specifications, generated database code and C++ wrapper code for the database code for the software designers
University of Waterloo
Testing for the new UW ACCESS Online Co-op System
Research In Motion (RIM), Waterloo, ON
Technical Writer, writing professional reports, manuals for products
Deloitte and Touche
Business Analyst
Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. – Robotics Division
Provided online PC support, helping PC/LAN Co-ordinator install and configure new PCs, completing IT system projects
Natural Resources Canada Alternative Energy Division
Validating solar heating system model, performing comparative analysis between experimental and modelled results, writing performance report
Toronto Hydro Electric System
Underground Planning, outlining critical tasks for occupations, identifying ergonomic risk factors, developing physical demands analysis methodology/standards, investigating and recommending retooling, developing physical requirements standards for occupations.
Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo
Website Analysis and Development
Rockwell Automation, Cambridge, ON
Migration project to update/upgrade all computers in the company.
Scarborough Board of Education (now Toronto District School Board)
Built educationaly multimedia applications for elementary students
Bank of Montreal
Systems Research dealing with bank machine, policies and procedures, interface issues
Silicon Valley, CA
Project manager for Software development. Being in California gave him a lot of opportunity to explore and travel
Examples of other Co-op Employers
- Sterner Automation
- Walt Disney Imagineering
- NCR
- Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
- Canada Department of National Defence
- Canada Ministry of the Environment
- Ontario Ministry of Health
- General Motors Quality Resource Center
- Motorola Canada
- Spar Aerospace
- Canadian Space Agency
- Corel
- Roxio