![3 people sitting around a table with their laptops and laughing](/olc/olc/olc/sites/default/files/styles/blog_lead_image/public/2022-06/brooke-cagle-g1Kr4Ozfoac-unsplash.jpg?itok=P3ylgK-1)
After completing 6 Co-op work terms, one thing I really enjoyed about my Co-op experience is that I had the opportunity to gain work experience from different types of organizations. I started with a 5-person non-profit organization, then to a 20-person start-up, and then landed my dream Co-op at a large 100,000+ person multinational tech corporation. One thing I’m thankful I realized early on in my Co-op journey is this: don’t be turned off from doing a Co-op with a small organization.
Without my Co-op experiences prior to joining this large tech corporation, I would not be where I am in my career today. I honestly wish I realized this sooner because when I first started applying for Co-op jobs, I applied to about 50 Co-op jobs and was rejected from all of them. The majority of the organizations I was applying was for were big companies, but as soon as I realized I just needed experience, I gave the smaller, not well-known organizations a chance. That’s when I finally got a Co-op job offer. I’m so glad I ended up applying to small organizations because they gave me the opportunity to kick off my digital marketing career.
![People sitting around a table looking at a computer](/olc/olc/olc/sites/default/files/2022-06/jason-goodman-vbxyFxlgpjM-unsplash%20%281%29.jpg)
I knew early on in my university journey that one of my career goals was to work for a corporation one day. However, it’s not easy to land a job at a corporation as your first co-op/internship, especially as a university student who is just starting their career. At the end of the day, you just need the experience to further your career and open more doors. It’s usually just a 4-month Co-op term, so the commitment isn’t too long and the invaluable experience you will get to add to your resume from those 4 months will help you tremendously for your next role and open many doors. I found it a lot easier to find my next Co-op after completing just 1 work term. I would not be where I am today in my career if I didn’t give the 5-person non-profit organization I worked for a chance. I was given a lot of projects that I was able to complete from start to finish and they were relevant to my career goals. This helped me build out a big portfolio and made my application stronger when I was looking for my next Co-op. You also get to grow your network and you can ask your supervisor to be your reference as you search for your next job.
After that first Co-op work term, I then completed a full year of Co-op at a start-up that had 20 employees. Working in tech is something I’ve always been passionate about and working at a start-up is a good way to get your foot in the door. I wasn’t planning on working at a start-up originally because, again I wanted to work for a corporation, but I’m so thankful for that experience because it really defined my career goals. I was the only digital marketing Co-op student and because of that, I was given a lot of autonomy and ownership over my projects. I got to try so many different types of projects at this Co-op. From social media, video editing, graphic design, to blog writing, I really got to build a toolbox of skills to further my career goals. I also loved that I was able to get to know all of my colleagues very well due to this start-up’s close-knit company culture, and they were all great mentors. If I didn’t give this small start-up a chance, I wouldn’t be where I am today in my career.
![person typing on laptop](/olc/olc/olc/sites/default/files/2022-06/avel-chuklanov-DUmFLtMeAbQ-unsplash%20%283%29.jpg)
The skills I’ve gained from these small organizations are all skills my current job now requires me to know. These experiences really opened up many doors for me.
I hope this blog post will help you feel less discouraged when looking for your first Co-op placement because trust me I’ve been there, I know the struggle. If you don’t remember the majority of what I’ve written in this blog post, please remember this at least: a Co-op at any organization can positively affect your career and help your resume stand out. Every experience counts! Good luck, you got this! I wish you all the best!