Co-op Blogs

Read about Harpeet's co-op experience as a Therapy and Office Assistant at DesLauriers Chiropractic Group Inc and find out how this experience has helped them gain valuable lifelong skills. 

Daniel Paulino expected to be the intern that got coffee for the office. He surprised everyone, especially himself when he developed top-performing software and wrote a research paper in his eight-month co-op at Genome Science Centre. Find out how he did it.

Did you know that according to some statistics, up to 33% of managers know within the first 90 seconds of an interview whether or not they will hire someone? Learn how to ace your interview from beginning to end with these 8 great tips.

Looking to maximize your time abroad and integrate with locals, but nervous to take the first few steps? Read on to learn how Kendra broke through their personal barriers, and the advice they have for future travellers to make the most of their work term overseas.

Are you looking into working abroad for your co-op?  Business student, Candice Woods shares what she learned in her co-op and how to combat homesickness based on her experience working in Barcelona, Spain for her co-op.

When Ian first came to SFU, Ian was a student in the Biological Sciences program. After their first year, they realized that they didn't just want to study living organisms, they wanted to learn about the human body. So at the end of their first year, they found themselves transfering to the Biomedical Physiology program.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) offers opportunities beyond accounting. Jackie, an Economics student, spent his co-op in the Learning and Development Department of PwC in Hong Kong. Read about his experience doing two work terms with PwC, and the variety of skills he picked up!

Michael Welk went to Spain to teach English for his co-op and shares about his adventure in a new country. Read on to find out about what you can gain from an experience such as leaving your comfort zone and exploring! This article was originally published in the Arts Co-op Newsletter in Spring 2015.

Jiwon Lee is an English student who did her co-op in Korea, where she taught English to school children. She shares what it's like to do a co-op on the other side of the world!

Have you ever considered what you would say during an interview when asked the “Tell Us About Yourself” question? Courtney, a Business co-op student learned a lot about herself during her co-op and has figured out her answer.  Read her reflection and re-think your answer to the question.

BPK student, Nick Crivici, spent nine months as an English Language Assistant in Barcelona.  Although this co-op was not directly related to the BPK field, he found tremendous educational value in his experience abroad.

As a co-op student at Lungpacer Medical, Laura has gained invaluable skills through a variety of responsibilities. Read on to find out how this experience has contributed to their learning and personal growth. 

Most co-op students and other job seekers know – or learn quickly – that sitting at a computer is not the most effective route to land you your dream job. But social media is a huge part of our everyday lives! Are you making the most of it – with the right tools – to elevate your job search?

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 the last part of the "Science Al!ve Insider" series.

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.

Evgeny Vinnik is a PhD student at the School of Computing Science.  In this article he shares about his experiences during his internship with Qualcomm Research Silicon Valley during the summer of 2014.

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 2 of a 4 part series.

Fast-paced office environments can be very stressful! Business student Christine shares her tips on how to manage in this kind of environment, based on what she learned at Appnovation Technologies.

Did you ever think about taking advantage of networking opportunities at your workplace while you are on your co-op?  Business student Helen Bowman discusses the networking opportunities she was able to take advantage of during her co-op at SAP.

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.

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.”

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! 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hubert Tam shares about his experience in Germany working at SAP.  Hubert is a 7th year Business student who spent 3 co-op terms at SAP.

Raymon Gulati faced his fears by interviewing with BlackBerry, landing a fantastic job, and learning that his talent & skills could successfully overcome what seemed to be his biggest obstacle.

Meghan shares the benefits of working at a non-profit based on her experience at the Multiple Sclerosis Society. 

Andrea takes on the non-profit world as a Community Services Assistant at the Progressive Housing Society. 

Diana completed her first Co-op work term with the Mexican Consulate in Vancouver. Read on to find out how this experience has enhanced her skills! 

Political Science student Nicole shares about her experience doing marketing communications work for Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI), a non-profit that supports over a thousand individuals with developmental disabilities.

Nick Doering was not looking for a co-op job at SFU, but soon discovered that his work at SFU’s SIAT department was a great first step to landing a position at a high profile company.

Read about Jill's summer co-op with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, where she spent her time scuba diving, documenting algae and invertebrate species, hanging out with sea lions and possibly having the best summer ever!

No experience in the tech industry? Break in anyway! Communication and Economics Co-op student Terence Chu shares tips he learned firsthand as a Technical Writer for Ericsson, a multinational Swedish telecommunications corporation.

Vlad Tkachenko is a 5th year Computing Science Student who spent 2 co-op terms at RIM and 2 co-op terms at SAP. He shares what he learned and some tips for success on the job.

Starting a new co-op position can be stressful and overwhelming at first. Communication Co-op student, Christie Atkins, shares workplace transition advice from her mentor, Melissa Fast.

Are you having a hard time landing that ideal Co-op job? But, what is ideal? Explore Jeanie’s experience this summer at the YWCA Health + Fitness Centre.  She shares her experience about how a job description might not stand out at first, but can lead to a stand-out placement.

Jacky is a fourth year Business Student who spent his co-op in Beijing China.  Read his interview to discover what his co-op abroad was like.  Jacky covers preparing for the work term, work life, and living abroad.

Nicole Molinari is a Health Sciences BA student who shares her experience working in Kolkata, India, where she worked with Destiny Reflection/Foundation, an organization that works to empower survivors of human trafficking and at-risk women.

As a first-time Co-op seeker with little real-world work experience, it can be daunting to read the words ‘work samples required’ in a job posting. Here are 5 useful tips for showcasing your work at your next interview.

Learning how to effectively communicate in a new work environment can be difficult enough, but add a language barrier and things get even more complicated. Here are Julia's top tips for overcoming language barriers in the workplace.

Want to make the most of your work term and thrive in the position? Public Relations Intern Kelly shares 5 tips on maximizing your Co-op experience.