Co-Op programs during college. ++ or --?

[MikeMike]

just wondering, i know that you get an "IN" at a company, but finding living places i think would be difficult. what do you guys have to say about them?

MIKE

 

[cchen]

depends. what are your career goals?

 

[simms]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I don't see how co op would hurt you in any way. It helps build connections after you finish school.

So? I worked in the west coast and I study in the east.

 

[jaybert]

they're great....it looks good on your resume, even if you dont end up working for the same company after you graduate. I did one w/ a small company in Buffalo a few years ago (LegalStar, they make software for patent lawyers) and am starting a co-op w/ IBM next week in Florida.

I got alot more interviews/offers, 1 of the reasons being I had applicable work experience listed on my resume. I actually ended up getting 4 offers (2 from IBM, 1 from MIT Lincoln Lab., and 1 from AMD).


EDIT: housing is kind of difficult...for the one in Buffalo, I had to live in a slumhole which did month-to-month. In Florida, it was difficult, especially since its "in-season" right now, but i managed to find furnished condo to rent which was not too expensive and also allowed for a 8 month lease.

EDIT2: I'm Computer Science and goto Cornell University, but transferred from Rochester Institute of Technology in Fall 2003.

 

[cchen]

It can hurt because in some industries doing the coop would be irrelevant to getting hired full-time

 

[MikeMike]

to get a good job. have a good carrer. live a decent life.

i think it would be a good starting point for a certain company to get into, but im just looking for first hand experience either doing it or not, and comparing to someone you know who did,

edit: im Computer Technology at Purdue, with a focus in Telecommunication and Networking Technology.

MIKE

 

[jacob0401]

Originally posted by: cchen
It can hurt because in some industries doing the coop would be irrelevant to getting hired full-time

some examples? I'm interested especially for bioengineering/chemical engineering co-op ...

 

[cchen]

Consulting, investment banking/finance, other business related

If you're doing engineering and plan on doing it for a full-time job, it can definitely help

 

[jaybert]

for any sort of engineering, it will be a plus. I think I can safely say, for *most* entry-level positions in the field of engineering/computer science, companies prefer work experience over a high GPA. Of course, your GPA needs to be over their minimum, but other than that, it does not matter too much. But of course, if you have 2 people with equal work experience, the one w/ the higher GPA will probably get the job.

 

[GT1999]

It's required for my major (well, an internship).

I have one coming up starting Jan 18th - July 18th with a fortune 500 company and I'm looking forward to it. They're paying for rent ($870/mo for a luxury apt in a rich neighborhood), plus full benefits, utilities, cable, maid, etc. A lot of that is kind of ridiculous, and it's more like a job. I'd only do it if you get great benefits, otherwise, you never know, they may not hire you back. If you didn't get paid much, then it's time lost, minus experience.

I'm registering for a 6 hour internship class in place of 16 credit hours of classes, and delaying graduation by a semester (and taking the 16 credit hours and graduating in December of 2005).

 

[Schrodinger]

I have a 4.0 GPA in CS. Believe me when I tell you that experience and references go much further than grades do. My friend will only hire people that can show him some real code that they've done and not just some ratty little 1000 line school project.

I made the mistake of not doing co-op at college because I wanted to get done faster. Fortunately I've done lots of coding in my own time and have a portfolio I can show. But believe me, even if you get paid 10 cents an hour and have to eat ramen everyday its WORTH IT just for the experience alone. When you are done college and havent done any co-op...who the hell in their right might would hire you? Regardless of grades, I would never hire anyone that hasn't experience...its just more burden on them for you to cut your teeth on THEIR dime.

Do co-op and you won't regret it. I know many people with GPAs of 3.8 and above in CS who are out of work. I cannot stress the importance of co-op and references enough especially for the IT field.

Simply: everyone I know who has jobs did a co-op. everyone who I went to school with who didn't do a co-op has a degree and live with their parents, thousands of $$$ in debt.

 

[Syringer]

I've never heard of a co-op before. Can someone explain what it is?

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

Originally posted by: Syringer
I've never heard of a co-op before. Can someone explain what it is?

This is where you start working in your field before you graduate. It's more involved than an internship though, you stick with one company for several years. You alternate each semester between full time work at the company and full time class at your school (at least that's how it works at Georgia Tech).

I've heard some claim it's almost becoming a requirement in some fields...

I'm going to be applying for coop jobs very soon. A good school and good grades may not be enough to get a CS major a job, but work experience on top of that should do it. You've got to make yourself stand out, it will be hard to compete with someone who has real world experience.

Plus you get paid well compared to most work you could find as a college student, get to do things in the field you chose, and most coop students get a higher starting salary. I talked to a few upper classmen CS majors and they seemed very positive about their coop jobs.

EDIT: Just check out the site for my school's program, it's supposed to be very good:

http://www.profpractice.gatech.edu/students/index.html

Maybe in a few months I'll post about how things go.

 

[jaybert]

Originally posted by: Geekish Thoughts
It's required for my major (well, an internship).

I have one coming up starting Jan 18th - July 18th with a fortune 500 company and I'm looking forward to it. They're paying for rent ($870/mo for a luxury apt in a rich neighborhood), plus full benefits, utilities, cable, maid, etc. A lot of that is kind of ridiculous, and it's more like a job. I'd only do it if you get great benefits, otherwise, you never know, they may not hire you back. If you didn't get paid much, then it's time lost, minus experience.

I'm registering for a 6 hour internship class in place of 16 credit hours of classes, and delaying graduation by a semester (and taking the 16 credit hours and graduating in December of 2005).

I wouldnt worry about pay when it comes to co-ops...its more about the work experience. For the right company, i would of taken an unpaid co-op/internship if I felt it would help me in the future. Regardless if they offer you a job or not after you finish, its more of a learning experience and can only benefit you in the long-run in finding a fulltime position after you graduate.

 

[PricklyPete]

It helped me a lot...but that was because I ended up working for the company I co-oped for. May not help as much if you are looking to work somewhere else...but experience is always beneficial when looking for a job.

 

[flot]

Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
just wondering, i know that you get an "IN" at a company, but finding living places i think would be difficult. what do you guys have to say about them?

If you have the opportunity to get a "real" job (especially in your field, or at least somewhat related) during college, you should absolutely do it - even if you barely break even financially.

It will give you a tremendous edge over someone who went through their college careers without any work experience. (or with lousy work experience, IE working at Wendy's)

As someone above pointed out, most companies would rather hire someone with a 2.5 gpa and good relevant work experience than someone with a 4.0 who never worked a real job in his life. Just having the experience of working in a professional environment is a huge step up in most prospective employers' eyes.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: jaybert
But of course, if you have 2 people with equal work experience, the one w/ the higher GPA will probably get the job.

Not always - I interviewed for my co-op with a guy who had a GPA near 4.0, mine was a 3.0, and I got the job. Of course, he's an asshole and that probably was apparent in the job interview. Being a good interviewee is a huge plus.

Like someone said, it's becoming required at a lot of schools. I didn't realize it wasn't until graduation, where they said my college was one of the few in the nation with a required co-op program for 4 year degrees.

In interviews, I flat out asked if they ever hired their co-ops. Some companies do, three of my friends all got fulltime positions at their company because of co-op positions they had there.

 

[sciencewhiz]

cchen, can you explain exactly why it's a bad thing in those fields?

 

[GTaudiophile]

I worked for Delta Air Lines' e-Business department for two years, from 19 to 21-years-old. I was the "Marketing Research Coordinator." e-Business formed just right after I got there and was THE "IN" place to work. Aside from having tons of responsibilities, I was well-liked and well-respected. Only once was I asked to copy documents for a meeting. I was paid about $2200/month (salaried) and even got FULL Delta flight privileges, which meant even my parents could fly business class for free. Was a great job. Shortly after I left, 9/11 happened and the department ceased to exist about 2 years later.

 

[Triumph]

I can't think of any reason not to co-op. I made good money (for being a student, $12 an hour was good), learned alot, and although I don't work there (they did offer me a job), it got me into my current job with the Army. A co-op won't lock you into any one career path by any stretch of the imagination, though. If you co-op at a manufacturing plant, and decide you don't like it and want to go into design, there's nothing stopping you. If anything, a design engineer who knows something about manufacturing would be more attractive to employers. That's just one example. I really can't think of a reason not to co-op, unless your student loans don't let you or you're on house arrest or something.

 

[SuperTool]

I did an internship instead of coop. Short term commitment, and it was fun. I don't think I did much work, but we had all sorts of activities like trips to amusement parks, restaurants, sporting events, etc. Good times. I still got an offer from the company, but decided to go with someone else because it was on the low side. I wonder if doing diddly squat all summer had something to do with the lowball offer?

 

[ajayjuneja]

Great idea to do a co-op or a long internship. I worked for IBM for a year after my sophmore year of college, it was very beneficial

 

[Garet Jax]

My Co-Op work assignment changed my life. I hated the work and the people (and would never have known had I not tried it). Right after the assignment I changed majors to comp sci and haven't looked back (did co-op there too).

 

[cchen]

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz
cchen, can you explain exactly why it's a bad thing in those fields?

for entry level jobs on wall street, the large investment firms care usually about what you did the summer after your junior year. if you have no prior experience, and get a good internship that summer, you'll be considered for a full time position. they will like, however, if you have prior finance or wall st experience. however, co-ops are never on wall st. if you're interested in working in IT on wall st, engineering related co-ops can definitely help

for consulting, it could help a little bit, but honestly what matters most is how smart you are and how well you can do on the case interview all consulting firms give

 

[Jeraden]

Here's my true story of how a co-op in college almost ruined my career.

I was a computer science major in college. We were all heavily encouraged to take co-ops. I took a co-op at IBM in Charlotte. It was doing dumb stuff, but I guess most co-ops are really. Anyways, the project I was working on was partially done on a mainframe, so I got some mainframe skills from it.

Fast forward... I graduate and accept a position from a particular software firm. I have my resume and I put my co-op experiences in detail on it cause they tell you no experience is too small to mention. I start work, supposedly in a particular group. On my first day they see some mainframe experience on my resume and ask if I wouldn't mind working in a different group instead. Now, the proper answer there would be to say no, but its my first day with my first job out of college, so I'm not about to go start making demands of them already, I doubt most people would. So I end up working for a year in a crappy mainframe job. Fortunately I finally got out, but never back onto the career path I really wanted to be on.

So my advice, leave out any experience you really don't want to have a chance of getting stuck doing in the future!