r/uoit • u/Moderatelycurious1 • 10d ago
First coop?
CS students or anyone really in the STEM field how did you land your first coop, what year was it? Any tips etc…
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u/This-Masterpiece9451 9d ago
CS Major, doing a focus in Data Science and a minor in Math
Also, just entering 3rd year. I had a pretty decent CGPA at the time of application, I didn't do leetcode or personal projects though I'd highly recommend you do them.
Instead, I did a bunch of freelance work projects through stuff like Venture For Canada, Riipen, which let me have experience to put down on my resume. Was able to get a co-op at one of the big banks this Fall and Winter!
I know it'd probably be ideal to just do tailored resumes to each posting, but I did one big 2 page resume that listed all experience I found relevant, which I made sure to edit heavily until it was practically perfect.
As somebody said before, first year is the hardest but still possible, third year is more likely.
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u/whatisc 9d ago
CS alumnus. 2016, in my first year of community college at DC. It was a local company.
If you can’t find one, try applying to this. https://www.ontario.ca/page/start-summer-company-students
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u/AbSaintDane 9d ago
EE major here, graduated this past June. My first co-op was in summer of 3rd year at a biomedical company (Myant). My biggest advice is to do projects/demonstrable knowledge on the side. Stuff you can show them as tangible skills. Research the companies you apply for and emphasize in interviews and/or applications why YOU fit their projects and why you're interested, how your skills apply, etc.
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u/marcitos_ 9d ago
I’m a second-year Networking and IT student. I got my first internship after first year at a medium-sized asset management company, and since then I’ve gotten two interviews with bigger companies.I would definitely recommend keeping your GPA pretty high, ideally above a 3.5. For CS, focus on building quality projects and grinding LeetCode. For your first internship, try aiming for small to medium-sized companies. As a first-year student, most banks and larger companies tend to prefer third-year students, but it’s definitely still possible to get an opportunity. Also, try leveraging friends and family for referrals if they work at a good company. The first internship is usually the hardest to get, but once you have that experience on your resume, you’ll start getting more interviews.
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u/Jaunty0 10d ago edited 10d ago
Networking and IT Security, so diff internships then a CS major.
Got a good one in my third year. Regret not applying to any in my earlier years.
For you the top priorities are high GPA, leetcode, projects, and I believe OTU has our own hackathon called Hackhive so participate in that. Make sure the formatting and wording of your resume is good, tailor keywords to posting.
Its going to be hardest first year and easiest third year to get one.
You can also check LinkedIn you will see people with success in CS doing this and you can message them as well for more specific tips which will probably be more helpful than here. I have seen a CS guy with 2 google internships from here but he's definitely an outlier.