From Co-op to Career: Fiona Cheng’s Nokia Success Story
Fiona Cheng is a June 2026 graduate of Software Engineering. Her journey from Carleton University co-op student to full-time Quality Assurance Engineer at Nokia demonstrates how experiential learning can open doors, build confidence, and kickstart a rewarding career. Here, Fiona shares about her experience as a co-op student:
During my eight-month co-op term as a Service Router Platform Test Development Student at Nokia, I had the opportunity to take ownership of testing features from start to finish. This included creating detailed test plans, executing manual testing, adding automated test coverage, collaborating closely with the development team, and ultimately signing off on completed features. One of the most rewarding aspects of my experience was seeing how quickly co-op students are trusted with meaningful responsibilities that have a direct impact on customers.
My studies at Carleton University prepared me well for this role by teaching me how to approach problems methodically and giving me a strong technical foundation that I could apply to both the software and hardware I encountered on my term. During my work term, I strengthened my coding skills by working with unfamiliar codebases, improved my debugging abilities by developing systematic methods for reproducing failures, and enhanced my organizational skills by balancing multiple tasks. These are skills and experiences that I will continue to carry forward throughout my career.
The hiring and onboarding process at Nokia was well organized and highly relevant. The onboarding workshops introduced the specific tools, workflows, and processes used by the team, which made adapting to the role much smoother. I was very fortunate to have a wonderful group of mentors during my time at Nokia. Everyone was kind, patient, and always willing to answer questions and provide guidance. Their support helped me grow both technically and professionally throughout my co-op experience. Overall, my experience at Nokia was incredibly rewarding, and I would highly recommend Nokia’s co-op program to students looking to develop their skills in a supportive environment.