More and more students are turning to co-ops to get hands-on experience and a leg-up as they launch their careers.
To help raise student awareness of co-op opportunities, The University of Alabama Career Center is hosting its first-ever Crimson Co-Op Day Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. across campus, including an information session at 3 p.m. in the Career Center.
Tables will be set up on the Quad, Hewson Hall, Shelby Quad and Reese Phifer, where students can talk to co-op students, ambassadors, staff and companies such as Alabama Credit Union, Mercedes-Benz and Southern Company to learn more about co-op programs.
The event is for all majors to see what Crimson Co-ops are about, said Missy Brazil, assistant director of cooperative education within the Career Center and Crimson Co-Op Day’s creator.
“Crimson Co-ops are three terms (up to one year) with one company, and are paid,” Brazil said. “You are treated as a full-time, long-term employee of that company and gain experience employers expect from recent graduates. Co-op students are sometimes hired, upon graduation, by companies they did co-ops with because they have that experience or built a relationship.”
Getting that experience is an option for all students, said Appie Millsaps, director of the Co-op and Career Center Satellite.
“We actively connect students with available opportunities through our Co-op Interview Day. We also support students who identify opportunities on their own,” she said. “Crimson Co-ops provide an immersive experience that accelerates professional growth and creates lasting value for both students and employers.”
Develop an edge with employers
Dawson Sconyers is a computer science major and a junior from Clayhatchee. He recently completed a co-op with Johnson Outdoors, an outdoor recreation company.
He put his major to use in a myriad of ways.
“I worked in the test engineering department. My role was to essentially develop software for the production, business, sales, quality, engineering and R&D departments,” he said. “I was responsible for a lot of new products being developed. I was in charge of developing systems and acquiring data the company can use to make the product better before release.”
Sconyers believes his experience gives him a foot in the door with employers.
“If you complete all three terms (or more in my case), you gain at least one full year of job experience,” he said. “That’s becoming increasingly more valuable every week as entry-level jobs start to dry up. The ones that do exist are starting to require job experience themselves.”
But it was also a unique way to break up his academic schedule while continuing to learn.
“I also took this opportunity to help ease the stress of college,” said Sconyers. “Breaking up my semesters really helped me out. Doing that provided more learning than I would have gotten through classes alone. All in all, doing a co-op was all about getting experience, protecting my future self, networking and making new friends.”
Ginna Gray is a junior from Torrance, California. She is pursuing degrees in operations management and management with a concentration in human resources. Like Sconyers, she has gained valuable hands-on experience. She is currently completing a co-op with Mercedes-Benz U.S. International.
“Throughout my three co-op terms with the PT/NAO labor relations and policy team, I have supported a variety of long-term projects involving policy management, HR transformation initiatives and employee data validation,” Gray said. “I have also led process improvements that increased transparency and strengthened communication within the HR department, bringing recommendations and findings to the PT management team.”
Gray also believes a co-op is a transformative step forward.
“As most employers are requiring a couple of years of professional experience in your field these days, completing a co-op gives you an advantage. Through my co-op terms, I have developed technical and professional skills and worked on meaningful projects. I’ve also collaborated with cross-functional teams and built a strong professional network,” she said. “Completing three co-op terms has given me the confidence, professional experience and practical understanding of workplace expectations that have already had a meaningful impact on my professional development.”
Steward leadership through experience
Co-ops are the type of experiential learning Sconyers feels prepared him for post-grad life.
“I feel like it solidified what I want to do in my life, which is to be in a more managerial role who has technical insight into things,” he said. “I got to work under senior managing officials and that was a great experience. And I strive to be that someday. With my technical degree, I hope I can better integrate with people under my leadership and show them I understand what is and isn’t possible rather than just making decisions based on business logic alone.”
Gray added, “My co-op experience has strengthened my interest in human resources and business operations. I’ve always enjoyed finding ways to create structure and increase efficiency. At Mercedes-Benz, I’ve been able to see how those interests translate into practical solutions that support both employees and the business. These experiences have confirmed that I want to build a career focused on helping organizations solve problems, work more effectively and create better experiences for employees.”
Discover more benefits of a co-op
Beyond having a year’s worth of work experience, students still get to experience college life.
“Even while working on co-ops, students are still UA students. They are still part of their student organizations and go to football games,” said Brazil. “They are just also gaining that work experience so that as soon as they graduate, they have what employers want.”
Brazil added that the average pay for co-ops is $23.76 per hour.
“It’s great pay that students can save or spend on school expenses if needed.”
Learn more by visiting any of the tables during Co-Op Day or attending the information session. Information can also be found in Handshake or by visiting the Career Center in 2004 H.M. Comer Hall.