Working for the Government of Canada was the best experience I have had on a co-op work term yet. As a member of the IT support team, daily duties included analyzing and processing webforms submitted by clients. While it may sound dull and repetitive initially, there was a large variety in the types of webforms to be processed that work rarely became uninteresting. Due to there being specific procedures to the work being done, mandatory training was required but it was very straightforward and well structured. The environment was very welcoming, tight-knit and positive, and help was always accessible when you needed it. Compared to other work terms I was the only co-op student hired and usually had to consult with supervisors to answer my questions. Fortunately, this co-op work term I had the opportunity to work with three other students whom were also from Sheridan College! Through the training, we all became fast friends and could rely on each other when either of us had questions. Working with knowledgeable friends really improved the work experience and reduced the amount of stress that would result from simply working alone. I would definitely enjoy the chance to work with the Government of Canada again and would encourage other students to check out the opportunities provided by the Government of Canada.

Constellation Financing Systems was my most difficult and unique co-op work term yet. When I was originally offered the position, I had thought that I would be creating reports. However, when I arrived on the first day I was informed that I would be deemed the project manager for a company move that I did not know was planned! I have never been the project manager for anything on such a large scale as this with such intense consideration of logistics. Juggling both creating reports and managing the company move was very difficult since I essentially had 2 jobs when all my previous co-op work terms I would only focus on one thing. Fortunately for me, there were plenty of kind and helpful people who helped make the company move a success, making the ordeal a useful learning experience for everyone involved. I am truly grateful my coworkers at Constellation for giving me such a memorable and interesting work term.

My experience at Tri-Hospital Sleep Laboratory West was a novel and exciting one. It was only after completing my work term did I realize that I was actually working as a small-time project manager. It was my first time working at a non-software focused company and really seeing how improvements in technology can benefit those companies. Tri-Hospital Sleep Laboratory West was a company with a large paper trail that I was tasked to reduce. I sought to modernize the office by converting the paper questionnaires into digital ones that the patients fill out on tablets, which greatly reduced the amount of paper used and increased the efficiency of data input and document flow. Although the new system I developed was tested, it had not yet been implemented so I look forward to seeing it or an improved version in action some time in the future!

My co-op term at Carbonite was an incredible learning experience. Over those four months I met and worked with brilliant and friendly people who taught me. While working at Carbonite I learned how to automate QA testing with Selenium and TestNG and further solidified my Java programming skills. My time at Carbonite is a memorable one that I hope to repeat someday.

My first internship at Vital Insights was a great learning experience for me. I fixed minor bugs and tested code. I also made summary report templates via Microsoft Excel. I learned about C#, .NET and SQL. Although I was only there for a short while, the positive environment helped motivate me and made the overall experience that much better. I would definitely like to work at Vital Insights again.