Blogs

From chemical reactions that hit the roof of our lecture halls, to trips to remote regions of Northern BC, this is an account of some anecdotes and experiences of my first co-op term, working for Science AL!VE in the summer of 2014, teaching children about the field of study that I love myself.  This is part 1 of 4 of the "Science Al!ve Insider" series.

Do you want to become a better communicator and leader? Do you want to gain confidence in public speaking? You may want to consider SFU’s own Burnaby Mountain Toastmasters Club, an opportunity for the general public to gather together and prepare for interview settings, job and career development, and general group environments. 

Ian Brown shares both his experience working at Tesla Motors and Edwin Chand’s experience working at Apple and their general thoughts about going to California to intern for co-op. Ian and Edwin are both recently graduated from engineering, and share their perspective on relocating to California for a co-op position. In this article, Ian describes the preparation and going to California.

Email communication is a critical skill in many jobs. Business student Helen Bowman shares tips on how to efficiently and effectively communicate through email, based on what she learned during her co-op at SAP.

“ALWAYS do research on the company you are interviewing with.”

Do you know how SFU decides how to Indigenize the University?

Read about Indigenous Research Institutes scholar Marena Brinkhurst and her work in Interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches to community-based land-use planning.

Ever wanted to become a tutor? Find out why being a tutor can actually help you become a better student.   

As a Biomedical Physiology major, Kirsten always imagined a co-op placement in a lab research of some sort or a hospital. However, working as a admin assistant at a physiotherapy clinic has changed this thought dramatically. Read about Kirsten's co-op journey to find out more! 

Already involved in a club? Why not take it a step further and become a club executive! Loren goes through 4 reasons to consider taking on a leadership role in a student club or association. 

Find out how Margaret takes on a challenging co-op experience in unfamiliar territory as a student kinesiologist with CBI Health. 

When trying to get hired, I hardly considered the prospect of actually working. I was more concerned with building professional resumes and appearing impressive at interviews. Upon landing my first co-op, however, I suddenly realized that I would need to perform in a strange, new environment – one I knew nothing about!

As a follow up to Kim's article, "Employability Skills You Can Gain Through Volunteering," read how those three key employability skills could be applied to a future career! Let us know: How would these skills apply to your own dream job?

Public Relations Intern Kelly shares 5 strategies to accomplishing deadlines and effective time management.

At first, the news was so devastating and heartbreaking ...

Are you a Computing Science Co-op Student and wondering what the right job is for you?  How do you decide what the right job is for you, especially when software is becoming a huge part of every industry? Dylan breaks down “finding the right job”. This is part four of four.

Are you thinking of getting a job but don't know where to start? Have you been sending out hundreds of resumes but never heard back from anyone? Check out these 3 simple strategies that will make you look so good that any employer will want to hire you.

If given the opportunity to go back in time, based on what I have discovered interning at SFU Career Services, I would offer my younger self three pieces of advice. Hopefully you can also learn from my experiences and have a smoother transition. 

How do you go from coursework to real-world projects? Dylan shares how his courses and co-op have helped him to be a better engineer.  This is part three of four.

Are you a Computing Science Student about to be interviewed?  Dylan shares interview tips, personal anecdotes, and learn how to prepare yourself for your next interview.  This is part two of five.

This week's SFU Club of the Week is the SFU Chapter of Love Your Neighbour. Here's a spotlight on this club that has expanded to offer local and international opportunities for students.

Meet Dylan, a fourth-year computing science student at Simon Fraser University with over a year of co-op experience spanning two large companies: SAP and Electronic Arts. He shares his unique perspective on Computing Science Co-op and offers advice for students on topics such as interview techniques and software engineering tips.  This post is part one of four.

Not sure what career path you want to take? Computing Science Co-op Student, Cody Santos, was not sure either.  Read about his first co-op term at Mobidia and what he learned because of his experience there.

Why do you volunteer? There are many reasons why people volunteer for both professional and personal reasons. This is a personal article on why I volunteer at specific organizations. 

Academics are certainly important, but volunteering can certainly help you in other aspects of your life, both personally and professionally. Nicola explains some key benefits to gain from volunteering.

Third year Business student, Corina Inigo, shares about her co-op experience with Teach and Learn in Korea (TaLK).  She discusses what TaLK is all about and also shares personal anecdotes from her teaching experience. 

Joey Mak: Fighting crime one journal entry at a time. Business student Joey Mak worked an eight month co-op with the RCMP, gaining enriching experiences. From processing salary reconciliations to conversing with officers at the Pacific RCMP Headquarters with a little bit of database management and programming in the middle, this co-op experience had it all.

How does volunteering help your employability? Kim goes through a few of the top skills that you can gain from volunteering that will also help you as a working employee.

Are you looking for opportunities to share the pictures you have taken? Are you interested in developing your writing skills? Are you curious about writing for a magazine? Learn more about Her Campus, an online campus magazine, and how it got relaunched this year!

This week, Emily features The Social Media Network as the SFU Club of the Week. Read about how their activities aim to increase students' professional social media prowess!