Monday, May 7, 2012

Co-op Student Newsletter | Spring 2012


Stay connected to RIT, while gaining experience
 Topics: Co-op Factoids | Making the Most of Your Co-op Tip | Out On Co-op | Co-op Kitchen




SPRING QUARTER CO-OP FACTOIDS

Number of students on co-op: 1023                                              
Number of students on co-op internationally: 19
Number of companies employing co-op students: 607
Companies hiring the most students this quarter: 
BorgWarner Morse, Cisco Systems, Harris Corp, Intel, Intuit, Paychex,  RIT, Rochester Software Associates, Thomson Reuters, Toyota, University of Rochester, Wegmans, Welch Allyn
Co-op city trivia:  Quincy, Massachusetts - This city is the birthplace of John Adams and John Hancock - two of the signers of the US Declaration of Independence.




MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR CO-OP TIP
Ending on a Positive Note
How you handle your final days on co-op could be critical to your future career success. You never know when you may need a recommendation, a letter of reference, or possibly end up interviewing with the company again.
Here are a few ideas on how to leave a good lasting impression on your co-op assignment:
• Don’t burn bridges! If there were people you did not like or get along with, be gracious to them before you leave. Don’t bother with the dramatic exit speech on how much you disliked them.
• Write personal thank you notes to those who mentored you, worked closely with you or helped you while you were there. Especially your direct supervisor.
• Make sure all of your projects are completed before your last day.
• Request a final review or evaluation before you leave. Ask for any feedback or things you could have done better.
• Make sure you turn over any proprietary materials before you leave.
• Remove any personal information from the computer and workspace you used.
• Make sure you have contact information for key people and ask them if you can keep in touch.
• Ask for a letter of recommendation (or reference for your LinkedIn profile) from your supervisor.




OUT ON CO-OP – JOSIAH PETERHAM
Josiah Peterham (center) with co-workers at MocoSpace


Major:        Information Technology
Year:         Senior
Company:  MocoSpace
City/State: Boston, Massachusetts
Job Title:    Quality Assurance Engineer

Brief description of your job and responsibilities:
During my time at MocoSpace, I was responsible for testing the quality and flow of a competitive gaming platform along with testing and monitoring the rest of the site for bugs and any potential problems the customer might encounter.  I tested the platform using numerous mobile devices that are available to the consumer including Android and Apple.  My responsibilities also included creating a log of the bugs that I found using Jira tickets (a logging system) and verifying any further bugs found by third party testers using a program called Utest.  I also set up a development environment that provided me with the ability to understand, write, and use scripts for testing automation.  I also attended R&D, QA, and Post-Release meetings to discuss and facilitate the progress of the projects we were working on.

How did you find the job?                               
Job Zone and my Co-op Advisor Jill Jablonski

Tips or advice for students who will co-op for the first time?
Always think positively and believe in yourself.  Don’t worry about what can go wrong but instead look for opportunities to be a leader and to help others.  Life is short… so do the best that you can and make the most of every opportunity that is given to you.  Keep in regular contact with your co-op and class advisers make use of their wisdom and experience in our particular field.  Find out when the best times are to apply for co-ops you are interested in and then apply even earlier than that.  This shows the companies you are both proactive and assertive, which are valuable skills in the business world.  Apply to everything that looks interesting to you.  It is better to have too many offers than only a few to choose from.  Also, spend a generous amount of time researching the areas you want to go to and the culture and work environments of the companies you want to write to.  These practical suggestions will all help create an easy transition and increase your probabilities for success!

How has co-op benefitted you?                        
I learned a great deal about the Mobile, Gaming, and HTML5 world from a business perspective.  This included working with my coworkers to create, develop, and market a product to meet the demands of a very competitive gaming market.  This also included intuitive and visionary marketing to create further additional demand from satisfied customers.  The whole experience was a valuable opportunity to naturally extend from the academic world that I came out of… into the real world of business.  It was also an excellent opportunity to get to know what it is like to move to a new place, explore a new culture, make new friends, and learn to rely on my own instincts and skills.  I cannot emphasize enough how valuable this experience was for me.  This co-op has proven more beneficial than I ever imagined and I am looking forward to the next step of my career where I will be moving to North Carolina to work for one of the world’s leading investment companies.




THE CO-OP KITCHEN   

You really can’t get any easier than this – your own individual macaroni and cheese meal with virtually no clean up!              
Macaroni and Cheese in a Mug
(serves just one)
1/2 cup macaroni pasta (use whole grain, it’s better for you!)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk (any % you like)
1/4-1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or any other cheese of your choice)
Combine the pasta, the water, and the salt in a microwave-safe mug or bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 2-minute intervals until the pasta is almost completely cooked, stirring between each interval. This should take about 6-8 minutes total. If the pasta absorbs all the water before the pasta is cooked, add another 2 tablespoons of water.
Stir in the milk and the cheddar cheese. Microwave on HIGH in 30-second intervals until the cheese has melted into a creamy sauce, stirring between each interval. This should only take about a minute to a minute and a half. For a creamier sauce, add an extra tablespoon or two of milk and cheese.
Spice it Up - Add any spices you might like (paprika, chili powder, salsa) along with the milk and cheese. Or perhaps diced onions, peppers, shredded cooked meat – whatever you like!


2 comments:

  1. This would help some students about the co-op. thank you for sharing this one.

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    Replies
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      Peter

      Delete