My Co-op Experience: Part 3

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In my last post I talked about the many experiences I had during my year away on co-op, and in this post I will share how those experiences have impacted my professional and personal life moving forward. 

 Because I was on co-op rotation for a year, I will now graduate one year later than I was planning to when I started college. Even though this is not the conventional path, I believe that the experiences I had and knowledge I gained during my co-op far outweigh that. 

 Before my co-op I didn’t have any other engineering work experience, so I lacked confidence in my abilities. During my co-op I gained a lot of experience in conducting important projects, and working with dynamic teams. Having these foundational experiences has given me the skills and confidence necessary to be successful in future roles. While working I got exposure to many different types of industry roles, which allowed me to figure out what type of role I am interested in pursuing after graduation.  I realized my unexpected interest in manufacturing and operations, which has led me to pursue an internship in that type of role with another company this upcoming summer. 

 On a personal note, during my co-op I not only gained valuable real-world experience, but also over a year of competitive pay which has allowed me the financial freedom to fund the rest of my time at Purdue as well as save for my future. This has taken a huge burden off of my parents, and I am proud to be able to take on that responsibility. 
I learned and grew so much during my co-op experience, and I will be forever thankful that I had the opportunity to do so.


-LilyAnn

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