Co-op is an opportunity to learn more about yourself

Co-op is more than an opportunity to gain experience that will look good on your resume, it is also a chance to reflect and learn more about yourself. 

I began my role with SFU’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Marketing and Communications department as an Editorial and Communications Assistant in Fall of 2021. Initially I did not have too many expectations; I simply thought the job description sounded like something I could handle yet at the same time would be a good challenge. It was a good opportunity to gain experience and skills from other fields different from my studies. However, this train of thought changed rather quickly as I got to know the people I was working with and the self-discoveries I found as I continuously grew on the job. 

Personally, I found my co-op position to offer a unique experience from the beginning. The first situation was working hybrid between remote and in-person. It allowed me to experience two distinctly different perspectives from working in the office and from home. It also taught me how different work life balance is between these two different situations. The second situation was not planned but offered an even more valuable experience when my first supervisor transferred to another position in the beginning of my second semester. This not only allowed me to experience working with different supervisors, but I found myself working more independently in comparison to my first semester. 

Undoubtedly this co-op has been one of the best experiences I have had during my time as an undergraduate student, from the countless skills I have obtained that will follow me in my future endeavours to the experience of working and communicating in a professional setting with various departments and positions. One of the most rewarding aspects of this experience is the practical application of my skills and seeing my efforts come to fruition. When I see my stories published on the FASS website, the graphics I have made posted on social media and the events I have helped successfully launch. It’s a fulfilling feeling that the work I have done has a purpose and impact. 

One of the main reasons I joined co-op was to see what potential career options I would be interested in. Although at this point, I have yet to determine what future career I will be pursuing, I will say that this experience has opened new perspectives and doors for me to venture through.  

When I was hired for my role, there were two major projects that were assigned to me. One was the FASS News archive migration project, and the other was the FASS faculty biographies project. Having to work with archival materials quite a bit in these past two semesters has generated ideas of pursuing a masters in archival studies if I were to continue school after my bachelor's degree. 

Though many things are not set in stone, in the coming semesters I plan to go back to studies before applying for another co-op position. I had a lot of fun working in communications, and I am not against trying out more positions from this area of work, but I am also open to trying out various occupations as well.