What it's like doing an out-of-state co-op

Moving to another city can be stressful to some people, but it was an exciting adventure for me. I always thought of living in different locations and working in different fields before settling down and this co-op was a great opportunity for me to try that out. 

A Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) meeting is what introduced me to the Idaho National Laboratory. A representative from the company was there to present to the group about what they do. After the meeting, I got their business card and expressed interest in a co-op rotation there. The following day was the UC career fair, the lab was there and I spoke with the company a second time and scheduled an interview. The day after my in-person interview, I was offered a position. 

When I started my co-op, I was exposed to a different world. Usually in college, you communicate mostly with classmates, upperclassmen and professors. I'd say it is like our own little world in CEAS. But in co-op, I get to see people in all different stages of life. For instance, some people just graduated college and started their career, while others have been working in the field for 20-30 years, and there are interns, like me, who are in different phases of their education. 

Talking to these different people during my co-op allowed me to grow. One area that shows this growth is my research. I spent time with a chemistry doctoral student at the lab, and she showed me the research papers she has worked on. She advised me that participating in undergraduate research is a great way to rest out my interests before graduation. She also helped me find research and reach out to professors. Working at the Idaho National Laboratory also helped me find my interest in working in the energy industry and to know more about energy future. 

One of the benefits of doing an out-of-state co-op is you can travel around during the weekend. Idaho has great outdoors, especially in the summer, when I did my rotation there. During the summer, I visited some national parks, some national forests, and hiked almost every other weekend. Also, compared to school semesters, you get paid full-time during co-op and that gives you less pressure on spending money trying new things. For me, I started flyfishing there and enjoyed the summer visiting different rivers. 

Featured image at top: UC engineering students complete a required five co-op rotations during their undergraduate programs. Mantei Center on UC's campus.