Why You Should Consider a Co-Op!

By -

    You may have heard from classmates and professors that getting a summer internship is a great way to gain work experience in your degree while still in college. However, few people know about the cooperative education (co-op) programs offered, which can have the same benefits, if not more! 

 

    A co-op is typically longer than a summer internship, about 4-6 months as opposed to a 3-month summer internship, and usually happens during the Fall or Spring semester. This can be helpful for students since it allows more time to learn and develop engineering fundamentals in a real-world setting. If you choose to complete other rotations with the same company, you would also be building a strong relationship with a potential full-time employer. All of this while taking on interesting technical projects. Taking a co-op may push your graduation back, but a full-time offer with a higher starting salary is quite common for co-op students as compared to students with no co-op experience. Not to mention that you will be earning money while working at the co-op. 

  

    Another reason you should consider a co-op, especially first and second year students, is because they are typically less competitive than summer internships. Having that work experience will foster professional development for your career down the line. Employers especially look for first and second year students for co-ops so they can stay for multiple rotations and develop skills based on company standards. This can help students seamlessly join the company should they decide to join full-time. To find co-op opportunities, you can search online, at Industrial Roundtable in September, and at the co-op fair in the Spring.  


 


    I was on co-op earlier this year at LyondellBasell, which is a chemical manufacturing company! I got to work at their biggest manufacturing site as a production engineering co-op. Some of my projects included conducting a pressure drop survey to evaluate equipment performance, validating Independent Protection Layers (IPLs), and developing a Management of Change (MOC) package for an orifice plate generating almost $100,000 in additional revenue per year! 

 

    Overall, I find that co-ops are fun and meaningful opportunities to build your toolbox as an engineering student while gaining valuable experience, making connections with others, and exploring new cities! Whether you decide to do one rotation or multiple rotations with an employer, the extended nature of a co-op allows you to learn so much more about an industry, all to help determine whether or not you’re interested in joining them after graduation.  

Saanvi Mahesh, ChE ‘28 

Recruitment Project Committee


Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program! 

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering 

Instagram: @purdue.wie 

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com 

Email: welink@purdue.edu 

YouTube: Purdue Women in Engineering Program - YouTube 


Purdue Women in Engineering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life in the Meredith South Women in Engineering Living Learning Community

By -
Image
     As an incoming freshman, I was excited for all the new college experiences I would have that year. I was also a bit worried about the college transition as I am an out-of-state student who didn’t know many other people attending Purdue. Those fears were quickly relieved after getting to campus, as the Meredith South Women in Engineering Living Learning Community, where I am living my freshman year, quickly provided me with a community at Purdue. The Meredith South Residence Hall sign in front of the building      In the Meredith South Residence Hall, two floors of the building are dedicated to the WiE Living Community, meaning nearly 200 freshmen women in engineering live in the same residence hall. Because everyone on your floor shares the same major with everyone in the living community, I immediately had something in common with all of the other girls on my floor. I have made some of my closest friends through people I met in my living community. Ev...
Read more

My Admissions Process: Deferred, Waitlisted, Admitted

By -
Image
May 1st of my senior year, I wasn’t wearing a Purdue shirt. Instead, I was representing another Big 10 school because I wasn’t committed—or even admitted—to Purdue. That morning, I was doing a last-minute review for my AP Chemistry exam when I decided to scroll through my phone. Given that it was Decision Day and Purdue was my dream school, I checked my admissions portal one last time to reread my waitlist decision letter. But this time, there was an update: I had been admitted to Purdue’s First-Year Engineering program after being deferred and then waitlisted. I was ecstatic! Later that day, after finishing my AP Chemistry exam, I officially committed to Purdue. The first time I toured Purdue, it was a cold and rainy day in West Lafayette, and to be honest, I didn’t love it. At the time, I had considered studying engineering but wasn’t entirely sure. In the spring of my junior year, my mom found an event hosted by Purdue’s Women in Engineering Program called "Exploring Engineerin...
Read more

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito...
Read more