By Kristy Strauss | January 2014
As Carleton University student Ryan Seys settles into the second semester of his third year, he already has a broad range of work experience under his belt – from start ups in Ottawa and Toronto to the technology firm Mozilla in San Francisco.
And the software engineering student says he has the co-op program to thank.
“If you’re coming out of school and want to jump into the working world, you have to have some experience,” says Seys, 21. “Having experience will now give me the edge over other students coming from other schools.”
He decided to enroll in Carleton’s co-op program because he wanted experience outside the classroom, and he has completed a variety of placements since his second year. This past summer, he travelled to California to work with Mozilla’s identity team on security-related projects.
He says the experience he received at Mozilla and elsewhere has enhanced his education.
“The skills I learned in the classroom prepared me, but the hard skills were learned in the workplace,” Seys says. “I came in with a set of skills, and left with a major super set of skills.”
He adds that the co-op program has given him a better idea of what types of jobs to apply for when he graduates.
“I know what I like, which is really important,” he says. “Software engineering is a huge field, and I have condensed that to web development.”
Seys also says it was very important to him to receive a variety of co-op placements to broaden his experience, helping to give him a better idea of how different companies operate.
“I wanted to do a different company for every single four-month segment of my co-op program because it would give me a new experience,” he says. “It’s more challenging, but that’s how I liked it.”
Seys says that he feels more confident going into the working world after graduation – especially now that he has an extensive resume and a better idea of how a software engineering degree can be applied in his field.
“The co-op program has been really beneficial to me, so I think finding a job will be easier for sure,” he says. “Plus, it will be more enjoyable, because I feel more confident in where I want to go. It’s definitely a great experience.”