The Latest

Like many other seeking Co-op students, Leslie struggled to find a co-op job that was relevant to her interests. While her friends were all able to eventually land jobs, Leslie started to feel more anxious and insecure about obtaining an opportunity. Here's how she turned the tables and found a job outside of her initial interests.

In a highly uncertain pandemic, working from home has become the new normal. Read about Emily's co-op experience with Sierra Wireless and find out what we can do to better our experience with remote working, both as an employer and an employee.

The end of a Co-op work term doesn't necessarily mean the end of your relationship with the organiziation you had been working for. Jaclyn found a way to turn her Co-op opportunity, a 8 month Co-op at FISPAN, into a part time gig when she went back to school to finish her degree. Read on to learn how she pitched her new role and position to the company she'd done a Co-op work term with.

When the COVID-19 hit, Kevin had to transition from working in person to working from home. Read on to find out what this experience was like and how Kevin was able to readjust to new working conditions. 

Interested in starting a business but don’t know where to start? David explains in Part Two of his blog series what worked for him during his time establishing a start-up business. Read on to learn what tips he shares about the process of beginning your entrepreneurial journey.

Sometimes, things don't go as well as expected when launching a start-up business. David explains in Part Three of his blog series just what went wrong and what fellow peers should look out for if you're also interested in developing a business.

Interested in starting a business but don’t know where to start? Don’t know if you can handle it because you’re a student? David has gone through it and succeeded in some ways while failing in others. Learn from his experience in this blog post so you can avoid making the same mistakes.

Ever wondered what working for a non-profit is like? Further, have you ever wondered what working for an extremely small non-profit is like?In her article, Marisa describes what it was like to work at a youth sports-oriented non-profit where she collaborated with a small team of only three, and lists both the pros and cons of non-profit work. 

After a tiring semester of remote learning, Lillian decided to trade classes for work experience and adventure - in Alberta as a door-to-door salesperson.

Nikolina was one of the many co-op students who had to learn how to adjust to new working conditions during COVID-19. In this article, Bikolina shares with us some tips for finding productivity during a global pandemic. 

As Elena enters her first co-op work term in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, she is faced with the challenges of working remotely. Read on to find out how she is able to overcome these obstacles as she shares her advice on working from home. 

Vicky Leung is a Business Co-op student who found herself having to choose between the allure of a permanent position at a start-up company, which did not match the job description, and a Co-op position that was everything she imagined. Read Vicky’s 3 pieces of advice when making difficult decisions in the co-op program. 

As Karen points out, students of the Interactive Arts and Technology program have been through years of design school! Designers know how to use Adobe Suite like a pro, and know to bring their A-game to the table every day, proposing fascinating new directions and brand-new visionary ideas. While designers are hired to learn and bring some ‘fresh perspectives’ to their co-op workplace, read on to learn how they can overlook some key parts of the everyday designer.

Working from home is a common reality for many Co-op students in the past year. Working from home while working for a Health Authority in the thick of the pandemic is a tremendous experience Kaylla went through last year. Take a look at how she learned to stay productive in these uncertain times.

In today's world of social media and aesthetics, the ability to create eye-catching and attractive content can be essential to a communication student's success in their co-op position. The problem is, programs like Photoshop and Indesign can be daunting to learn, and expensive to own. In his blog, Fareed explores whether Canva can be used as a more accessible platform for graphic design.  

Shahvir Sarkary is a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Co-op Student who had the opportunity to work as an Events Assistant for FASS, the largest faculty on campus. Shahvir recruited & managed over 48 students for a mentorship role that supported and helped the transition of new incoming students in Fall 2020 term.

Nisha’s second work term as a curriculum and programming assistant on a hiring committee for Career and Volunteer Services made her realize that with so many qualified candidates, decisions are sometimes based on the tiniest details. Here are Nisha’s 10 tips for how to stand out from other candidates and the reasons why employer’s value them.

Not many people know about all the perks of being an SFU student, such as huge discounts, free access to normally paid services, and cheaper subscriptions to popular products. Here is a list of everything you can take advantage of as an SFU student!

From trials and tribulations from countless interviews during her Co-op seeking journey, Ka Yiu Cheng shares some tips on how to crush your next virtual interview. 

Hermine shares some tips on making your thesis statements more effective and in-depth.

Bakhtiar Yaqub has decided to formally appoint themselves as the designated Ned Bigby of Simon Fraser University. Read for tips on surviving your work term from Bakhtiar's Declassified Co-op Survival Guide!

The climate is changing, global health is threatened, injustices are prevalent, and you want to do something about it. Well, how much impact can you actually have as a co-op student? Here’s what Brennan found out during his work term at the BC Council for International Cooperation.

Working a new 9-to-5 can come with a pretty steep learning curve, especially if you hold on to your university-student habits. In his article, Gryfin tells us his tips for adjusting to his co-op placement (and adulthood). 

Your first Co-op work term comes with a lot of valuable lessons and take-aways that stick with you throughout your professional career. For Emily, these lessons include just doing it, finding your strengths and striking a work-life balance. Read on to learn more.

2020 has been an unprecedented and extraordinary year. What we at the OLC have been pleasantly surprised by is how inspiring our contributing authors have been. Many of our posts touched on the reality of the pandemic, but they were written from a place of positivity and resilience. To wrap up 2020 at the SFU OLC, we've curated our top 12 inspiring posts and summarized how they can continue to inspire you in the New Year.

Gaining research experience, for many, is the first step to forging a rewarding career path in many fields across SFU. But are you confused about how to get the research experience you need? In this blog, Des’ree shares some helpful tips that help you find great research opportunities.

Does working 40 hours a week seem tiring? Try adding 15 to 18 hours of strenuous running, weightlifting, stretching and physiotherapy. Carlos takes you through his journey as a varsity track athlete while completing an eight-month co-op with Streamline Athletes.

Communication skills are more than spelling and grammar structure. As per Alyanna's supervisor, "Communication is a strategy action to receive what you expect to accomplish.” Read on to learn more about how she develops a different perspective of what communication is about from her co-op experience.

Robert's boss shared a key lesson with him about an essential trait that can get one hired. What is that trait and how can you develop it? Read on to learn more from Robert.

It was confusing figuring out how to work from home on a short notice back in March 2020. Since then, Terry has been learning and reflecting on what really makes a home office productive and what is needed to keep it a friendly and productive environment. Read on to learn more about his insights.

Finding a co-op placement can be quite stressful, but if you stick with it you might just find your dream position. Read John’s article on persevering through a difficult job search and making the most of a co-op placement.

When surveyed, students reported that the top four barriers to staying active were poor weather, lack of energy, loneliness, and lack of time. Check out the Health Peer Educators’ blog for some tips on ways to combat these barriers and build a healthy routine. 

How you carry yourself in your working environment will determine your growth, achievements, and what kind of work environment you engage in. Read more about how Tiffany realized what she has made out of her experience is what ultimately defined her workplace.

Remote working is no longer only the future of working but a current-day reality. Matthew provides three of his tips and tricks that have worked for him when working remotely with Student Recruitment and Admissions at SFU.

See how Career Peer Julia finds confidence and gains perspective regarding career and educational planning at the West Coast Virtual Fair. The final piece of a two-part series.

Wondering what it is like to work to work for TEDxSFU? Curious why you should seek leadership roles in student clubs? Des'ree interviews Nhi Nguyen, the former Project Lead of TEDxSFU and asks about her experience, lessons learnt and the challenges she faced in this position.

Like any other person, we have all thought about death at least once in our lives. Join Paneet in this honest conversation about end-of-life issues and what to do when such a tragic but inevitable discussion arises amongst loved ones. In this article, Paneet provides helpful advice and carefully selected resources to ease in to the conversation and to help prepare for the unpredictability of life.

Things move fast in a Co-op. One day you could be working with your favorite application, completely comfortable, and the next, you'll be tasked with learning an entirely new application. This is what happened to Vanessa in her Co-op, and here's how her first placement went, as well as her favorite things about both Wordpress and Weebly - two applications you may also find yourself using in a Communication Co-op.

Can introverts be outstanding leaders? Check out this article from Des'ree in which she talks about what kind of traits introverts have that can be harnessed for leadership roles.

Staying productive and on top of your workload is tough but even tougher while studying remotely. Des'ree has some great advice for our readers with a tool that she uses called the Accountability Schedule. As we move into the next semester, check this out and see if it could work for you!

Follow Gabriel on a journey of self-reflection as he shares with us some of the lessons he's learnt while on a Co-op term at Tranction on Demand.

As a university student, have you been having some trouble making remote teamwork fun and engaging? Des'ree shares what she's learned from her remote semester experience and provides some tips on how to improve the quality of your teamwork experience.