Where are you working? What are you doing in your role?
I am currently working at Next Dimension a premier IT solutions firm in Windsor Ontario that delivers IT management strategies and solutions to a wide range of companies, utilities and universities across North America. At Next Dimension my main duties are to maintain, create and administer all the SQL Reports for all of the various departments in the company. These range from business analytics to IT service ticket monitoring logistics. While I always predicate myself on the integrity of my work and ensure that my main duties are fulfilled I also stress the importance of challenging yourself and building a better you. Living by this mindset, after I was comfortable with my main duties I began searching and asking to join more ongoing projects in the growing company.
I was fortunate enough to be at Next Dimension during an exciting time and was able to join a number of ongoing expansion projects as the company looks to transition into a global competitor. Some of the projects I was able to join range from full stack web application development projects to enterprise level virtual machine server management. I was able to greatly expand my skillset and knowledgebase as I got hands-on activity with many new technologies and solved real-world problems for clients using these new skills.
This is why I always tell co-ops to never be afraid to jump into other projects and duties outside your normal tasks. Employers love to see ambitious co-op students that are always looking to improve and learn.
What are you getting out of this experience that will help you in future employment opportunities?
While I have picked up countless technical skills and knowledge from my experience at Next Dimension such as software development skills and technical skills that enable me to build and manage enterprise level IT infrastructure, it is the knowledge and ability that enables me to integrate into a new workplace and company that I value the most from my experiences. It is the lessons and knowledge about the real working world that makes my co-op experiences so valuable. From the fun, emotionally-packed employee building events that I have participated in such as RockBand competitions, disc golf and company euchre tournaments to the deadline driven work that challenged me - every experience has helped developed me into a capable and prepared graduate ready to take on the world and step into any company or business confidently and well prepared.
How has your co-op experience helped prepare you for the "real world"?
Although I brushed on this earlier I can’t stress enough how important it is for any university student pursuing any level of education to experience a working environment in their field. I strongly believe that there is a significant disconnect between what our education system teaches students and what they need to know for the “real world”. This is no criticism of the education system, it does a fantastic job of developing student’s skills, knowledge, and value. But the fact is that it is very difficult to teach students what its like to be in the working world, you just have to experience it.
I see so many students feeling inadequately prepared or even just not confident in venturing into the real working world after graduating. My co-op experiences have been invaluable in mediating the gap between the education system’s preparation for the working world and what it actually means to be a working class citizen.
Co-op also lets students develop a real world skillset and teaches them what skills are valuable and desirable in the workplace and what skills are not. All of these lessons and gained knowledge throughout the co-op experience let students shape and mold their own futures based on actual experience and knowledge from their own working experiences. And that is the single greatest thing that co-op can offer that no amount of education can teach. By allowing students to see what’s its like to work alongside people in their profession you jumpstart and empower students to make informed decisions about the trajectory of their lives and education right at the early stages of their career.
I can’t say enough about my co-op experiences, if it were up to me I would make co-op a mandatory part of almost every program in university - that’s how instrumental it has been in developing me into the person I am today.
On a more personal note my co-op experience has given me insight into what industries and occupations I like and that I can see myself getting into. It also taught me what industries and occupations I thought I wanted to pursue but ended up not enjoying. Not only have my experiences developed my technical skills they also provided me with the knowledge of what technical skills I still want to learn and attain going forward in my education. It’s really quite challenging to quantify and capture all the values and lessons you learn during each co-op term, what it comes down to is that each co-op experience builds a better you and teaches you what it means to be a member of the working class.
What tips would you give other co-op students to get the most out of their co-op experiences?
The most incredible aspect of co-ops is that you get out what you put in. And to me that means a limitless opportunity to improve and build upon yourself. In my opinion the way to look at co-ops - from a pragmatic point of view is this; as an employee you are there to work and provide value to the company. This means first and foremost that you take integrity in you work and do the duties you were hired to – just like any job. As a co-op student you are there to learn. This means you take every possibility to improve yourself and learn something new. It’s the time for you to make mistakes and fall down, the time for you to learn and improve yourself.
Other tips I would recommend to students would be to never think of yourself as anything less than a permanent employee of the company. This means that you take pride in your work, you respect everyone you meet and work with and most of all you expect the same level of respect back. This does not elicit confrontation, it simply means to treat yourself like any other employee at the company. I see too many students with the mindset of “I am just a co-op”. I never liked this mindset, and in my opinion it builds a weak foundation for yourself and the work you will do. As a co-op I believe you have more of a responsibility than anyone in the workplace to prove yourself and your abilities. My advice is to always act like a regular employee of the company and never let someone diminish your work and value simply because you are a co-op.
Student: Sean Santarossa
Program: Electrical Engineering
Work Term: Next Dimension September – December 2017