The Latest

Mistakes and regrets are a part of life, but there will always be a way to move on from them. Look at OLC staff member Terae’s blog on how she learned to accept her failures and find a new perspective on her path to the future. 

With an abundance of beaches and lakes on the West Coast, there are lots of different activities that you can do outside while staying cool. Here are some of our recommendations for ways to stay active in the summer, water sports edition:

Aleisha shares her experience as a commuter and how it helped shape her university experience and how it helped her in her studies.

Keeping a well-rounded fitness approach is important for overall physical health. Focusing on the 5 components of fitness can help with this.

I have always wanted to work at a non-profit organization. While my main objective during my first Co-op term was to gain experience in the Communication field, that goal to work at a non-profit had always remained in the back of my mind. Keep reading to learn more about my experience working for a non-profit. 

Communication? What do you do in Communication? It wasn't until my Co-op term with Fraser Health that I started to gain a solid understanding of what a career in Communication could really encompass. Keep reading to learn about how working in the healthcare sector during a pandemic rekindled my passion for Communication work. 

SIAT Co-op Student Michelle Illing talks about her work experiences at Vancouver Biennale and how the SIAT Co-op programs helped her during her work term

Co-op can be an overwhelming process. You are entering a trial adult experience where you look for and apply for jobs. But what do you do when you are scrolling through the long list of job postings and a wave of companies and organizations blind your eyes? Continue reading to learn about Carissa's experience working for a variety of industries. 

Dr. Novia Chen receives a doctoral degree in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies! Before joining GSWS, Novia worked as a film/video production instructor, filmmaker, and festival coordinator. She decided to pursue a doctoral degree to further inform the ways in which her position negotiates gender politics, representation, and feminist film criticism and theory. 

Final exams are the pinnacle of your semester, and they never get any easier to cram for. This blog post by the Student Learning Commons gives us some tips on how to prepare for the worst. 

Helping out the SFU Recreation team can come in many different forms! Read as Aleisha, a Promotions Assistant at SFU Rec, tells us about her role and why Promotions is a great team to partner with.

When a company invests in its people, the work experience can go from good to great. Roop Gill’s anecdotal piece on how she prospered in her co-op despite massive setbacks proves that there is nothing more valuable than workplace connection.

Interested in self-directed Co-ops and want to know more? Read on as Jessica shares her experience creating a self-directed Co-op at TELUS and gives advice that can help make your work term run as smoothly as possible!

Jordan shares his thoughts on his SIAT experience after coming back to university as a member of the industry.

Isabelle Soares is a stand-out SIAT student who is graduating this week with a Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Arts & Technology. During her time as a SIAT student, Isabelle was involved in the IAT student union and took part in an internship at LinkedIn where she was placed on the LinkedIn Learning Enterprise Growth team.

Communication student Marilyn Brimacombe talks about her time at Parkinson Society and FCAT, and how she used Communications skills to her advantage.

This article outlines my tips for those looking to find their own self-directed co-op and break into the non-profit industry with no experience.

Even as the pandemic subsides, remote and online learning has become our new reality and that can take some adjusting to. OLC staff member Terae’s piece on Online Meeting Etiquette has you covered on where to sit, what to say, and how to look professional doing it. 

Sometimes a well-timed nap can mean the world to a tired student. Read on to see the ins and outs of napping at SFU and what's your best bet at at-school slumber.

Do you want to make a difference in your community? Are you interested in working in health care for your co-op work term but don’t know if you have what it takes? Read about the skills Alan found helped him have a successful work term in health care.

With a lot of us working at home, looking after our health becomes a high priority. Check out Justin’s post about how his workplace extended a helping hand and how it affected him and his work positively. 

Calling all students and alumni! Get inspired by this interview with Jocelyn Loi, who created the virtual fair!  

One of the hardest parts of the writing process is getting and implementing feedback. This post from the Student Learning Commons gives a few different ways to get helpful writing feedback and how to know where to get started.

“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life” has been attributed to several thinkers: Confucius, Mark Twain, and Marc Anthony. Regardless, this sentiment is unrealistic.

It’s that time of year again! OLC staff member Terae Walters reminisces on past school years and tells us about her tips for sailing through the first year.

Though a move across the world during a pandemic was daunting, I was comforted by my German language ability, my experience having spent time in the country, and the strong co-op support team that stood behind me. 

Running is great for your cardiovascular health, but it's not easy to get motivated if you're new to the sport. Read Rachel's post on SFU Rec to find some tips on how to build motivation before putting on the running shoes. 

SFU Economics Grad Audrey Radstake reflects on her time in Economics, her favourite courses, and how her Co-op terms have already started affecting her future. 

Wondering what's it like to do a Co-op term with Co-op? If so, check out Sarah's experience working as the Digital Design and Communications Assistant for the SFU Surrey Co-op Programs, where she had had the opportunity to work with four different Co-op programs!

Are you trying to put wellness into your routine and not quite sure where it fits? This article by SFU Recreation tells you some tips and tricks on finding ways to get started

Two SFU-Alumni founded companies, Moment Energy and Streamline Athletes, are SFU’s Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection incubator startups at the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship this year! Read on to see how each company was formed and what the future looks like. 

Behind every career is a story with its own victories and challenges. OLC staff member Terae tells her story to us and goes into why being in a creative field as a woman has its own unique problems and how she found strategies to overcome them.

What comes to mind when you hear someone say, “I work for the federal government”? Let’s be honest, if you have never had a job in this sector, those words may sound intimidating, intense, and kind of complex. There are quite a few misconceptions about what kind of jobs there are in this field and what kind of benefits they can bring.

Wondering where your arts degree can take you, and how SFU Co-op can help you get there? In March 2021, we hosted a Q&A session with three seasoned SFU Arts Co-op Alumni with a variety of Co-op experiences, where they shared their Co-op journeys and where they are now. Keep reading for their tips on being successful during and after their co-op terms. 

Ever wonder what it would be like to work in the cosmetics industry as a UI/UX Designer? If so, read more about Joanne's co-op experience with Three Ships Beauty!

During my semester of scouring through SFU’s myExperience portal for jobs, I had to learn a lot of things the hard way, which probably led to me getting a job pretty last minute. But I don’t think I’m the only one who has fallen into the trap of destructive habits that creep through the cracks on the road to success. Below is a list of things I wish I had known when I started seeking for Co-op jobs that I hope will help other Communication Co-op job seekers.

Finding inspiration during the pandemic can be hard. OLC Content Creator Terae Walters gives us some pointers on where she finds inspiration for creative projects, from photography to beyond. 

A big meeting is coming up at work and you have no idea how you will contribute in a way that is meaningful. Jacky went from anxious to ambitious during his co-op work term as a Student Researcher, learning the ins and outs of leadership and proactive participation in team meetings. Here are his 7 tips for preparing for your upcoming work gathering.

Now that SFU is reopening, many of you may be excited to kickstart your social life again! We want you to feel confident about how to get involved, make friends and feel fulfilled - in clubs, peer leadership, volunteer, jobs or work.

Riding hovercrafts while at work, meeting renowned scientists, being the resident expert for introducing new software. These are all experiences Sam encountered while at his government job with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Read on to learn how his co-op job with the government was neither boring nor overly bureaucratic.

When Melissa was brought onboard as a Co-op student at Fraser Health, she learned that she'd have the opportunity to work for not one but two different teams within her portfolio. Though a little scary at first, she embraced the challenge dove in. Read on to see what she learned during her Co-op experience.

Casey Cheng, a Co-op student with the SFU Work-integrated Learning (WIL) Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) team, interviews Audrey Heath about her Co-op position with the SFU Indigenous Student Centre (ISC). Casey and Audrey discuss cultural safety, expectations & objectives, and how co-op supports professional and educational development.

Co-op can be an exciting, rewarding, and terrifying experience. Sometimes, we wish we could tell things to our past self, get advice from our future self or just reflect on how far we've come. In this blog, Katie writes letters to her past, present, and future selves about her co-op journey and the progress she's made. 

Taylor's seen the highs and lows of working from home and is here to tell you all about what worked and what didn't as he supported Vancouver Coastal Health as a Junior Business Analyst. Read on to learn from his carefully thought-out tips and tricks for making the most of a remote work term.