I have never had any sort of office job before, let alone a job in ‘the real world’. I had no idea what to expect when I got my first Co-op, working remotely for SFU Health & Counselling (SFU HCS) as a Marketing & Communications Assistant. It was during the middle of the pandemic, when everything was changing fast. After almost a year of working here (since I got extended for two additional work terms), I am so grateful for this opportunity. I have built the skills needed for working in marketing and communications, learned how to support my well-being, and discovered more about myself.

On the marketing side of HCS, I work alongside my supervisor and two other Co-op students. Because of the pandemic, we’ve taken on more communications to maintain our virtual operations. 

My team works closely with the Health Promotion team, which consists of strategists who research how to improve health and well-being and how to implement them at SFU. I also work closely with the Health Peers, which is a student volunteer group which hosts events and outreach activities to support student well-being at SFU. 

My role has a lot of variety including:

• Social media (copywriting, creating graphics, submitting content to newsletters)

• Content creation (brainstorming, audio editing using Adobe Audition, video editing using Premiere Pro)

• Virtual event planning and hosting

• Website updates (using Adobe Experience Manager)

• Designing documents (getting written content from HCS staff and creating layouts using InDesign following SFU brand guidelines)

• Since I am on an extended work term, I helped finish projects that were started last term. It was cool watching the whole process unfold and seeing the finished product. An example would be the “8 Ways to Build Resilience” video series. Last term, I guided the Health Peers in filming their videos and I also edited them.

• This term, I learned how to write a campaign plan for a soft launch of the series, prepped the launch with sample posts and graphics, and promoted the series consistently across social media and newsletters.

Something I really appreciate about my job is how my work is centered around promoting health and wellness. In brainstorming ways to support other students, I think about how I can practice what I’m promoting for myself. Since I, like others, have struggled with my mental health during the pandemic, I am grateful that my tasks include reading and writing wellness tips as those serve as reminders for myself. Also, the creative projects have offered various opportunities to grow. It helps that I have a very fun and understanding supervisor. I always thought ‘the real world’ would be scary, but my workplace is filled with welcoming and friendly individuals. They create a comfortable atmosphere.

In working with others in a professional setting, I definitely learned some things about myself that I would not have learned from just being a university student.

• While I like to take the lead, I can also be a bit self-sacrificing. I would willingly take on a big portion of a project. However, I have learned that sometimes it is better for myself and others if we share the load so I would not exhaust myself and others can develop their skills too. 

• This ties into how I learned that I can trust others because everyone brings different strengths to the table. I feel like as a student, I got too used to being that one person who’d take the lead and end up doing majority of a group project, which can be frustrating for everyone. I needed to remind myself to let go.

• Additionally, I thought office work would be incredibly boring and not be a good fit for me. I see myself as more of the spontaneous creative type. However, this Co-op changed my mind because most of my tasks are creative!

I believe that this Co-op allowed me to learn a lot of valuable things, not just related to what I want career-wise, but also how I can grow as a person and take care of myself. I definitely think that I'll be checking out SFU HCS’s resources and activities even after I’m done this Co-op. The department is filled with people who are trying their best to support students and I appreciate that!