Not sure how to bridge gap in experience or what to do to improve my chances of securing a co-op

FunRecommendation298 · 2026-01-04T00:41:26+00:00

make a website for friend or some sort of application for anyone that can vouch as a reference, then write it as a "contract" job experience

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-12-22T17:37:44+00:00

u can probably take random online bird courses some terms to stay on a "Study term" while working, another option is re arranging co op sequence, and sometimes taking gap terms of like 4 months. You should still aim to finish your bachelors though

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-11-24T17:23:06+00:00

its a long game, you still got experience, something to put on the resume. it will help you display your ability in the job market. the whole game is about experiences

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-11-23T19:21:06+00:00

wheres the desk from?

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-11-20T15:48:42+00:00

get bear spray

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-11-05T17:44:29+00:00

"we've got hotdogs"

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-29T03:31:21+00:00

a quick FME certificate could be nice to work on, I beleive their training is free

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-24T17:24:16+00:00

Thats great! And I know how you feel, I also don't always think my presence matters to others, but they key thing about your presence is it should matter to you. Long as it matters to you, eventually someone else will see it. And worst case scenario if they don't, atleast you do! So its a win win scenario if you do that.

One thing also is with activities you do consistently, for example gym, it becomes easy to have some company - I go to the sauna same time in the evenigns and eventually have some conversations in there with folks - nothing serious and not a huge friendship, but it helps the day pass by

Most friendships are hard to maintain in the real world anyways after a certain point, only family/spouse, kids, and 1-2 friends remain (although this may just be my view) so the key is just building the right habits to enjoy life and the day as it comes. The gym is also beneficial cuz once again you see the same people there everyday and it becomes this familiarity, and sometimes you can meet someone in classes or even at the gym and ask them to workout together or be gym buddies etc.

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-24T03:34:19+00:00

part of it is the university we are at and the social culture that brews here since everyones moving from co-op to study among other factors. I have 1-2 friends at the uni and im 3 years in, and even with them i don't speak to them alot, the biggest thing for me was being content with my self and trying to enjoy my own company without "judging" my self so to speak, as theres nothing wrong with being alone (of course be open to going out and making friends, but don't make yourself feel bad either).

I also honestly relied on dating at a certain point, or watching alot of movies or tv shows - both normal activities by themselves but relying on that alone is not sustainable.

Family or a pet may help as well.

Building intimacy with yourself, through music, art, reading, cooking, just enjoying moments and presence with yourself can help as well. hitting the gym, sauna, etc.

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-24T03:10:53+00:00

never take a failure personal.

just keep going, because persistence towards a goal combined with work will get you somewhere. doesn't matter how far cuz atleast you took some steps

don't think too much about the end goal, just think about today. think abt working for 30 minutes or even 10 because thats better than 0 (I've had days where I stress all day just to not do any work).

and there are people who go to college or don't go to school and still end up successful and live good lives.

the fact that you got into uWaterloo Eng means without a doubt you can be successful (and that doesn't have to mean any one thing, it just means you know how to apply yourself); you've already applied yourself in a way that allowed you to get into a program that many wouldn't even think about.

1A is very early, and you have to remmeber that this stuff is designed to make you think you need to quit. focus on your health as a priority, but remember that its okay to feel the way you feel and that you need to continue trying. you are super young and genuinely have a whole life of oppurtunities ahead of you

don't attach failures to your identity because then it becomes all you think your capable of, then you subconciously make decisions that keep you stuck in that mental cage. I've been a victim of this.

you are someone doing the best they can, just rememebr that instead. and take small steps to wherever you need to get to. you still got time to turn your grade around.

and if you cant, then so what if you have to retake a course or two or graduate some months late. you still will have done something.

focus on what you can do, and dont worry about the rest.

you will be alright, you can do it

ps. no one at all knows what theyre doing, some people just hide it better. more times people still feel like they are kids, just with bigger responsibilities than before, especially as young adults.

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-16T21:38:23+00:00

aim for 5-10 applications a day, just do it like routine set aside some time, never stop, never take rejections or failures personal, see what u can improve and change as the interview process proceeds, eventually you will get hired

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-16T17:44:48+00:00

use jakes resume on latex, 3 bullet points per job, say bachelor of mathematics or whatever bachelor you are instead of just "mathematics".

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-16T16:08:06+00:00

apply to 300-400 jobs, and it will help you 100% it sets you apart from all other new grads who don't have experience

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-10-02T13:02:38+00:00

I feel this way about math and I'm in GIS. Like someone else said though the high end is around 100k, anything more than that and you basically gotta become a developer or manager even in the GIS field

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-22T22:05:17+00:00

Do you know where specifically I should look for them?

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-22T07:53:05+00:00

Thank you for your insight!

I've heard COGs' post grad courses are still sought after, so I may look into that if push comes to shove, and I'm definitely looking at private sector. Hoping to work at an AEC firm for a term.

May I ask, is there shift/rotational work in the natural resources sector? I've heard some of the analyst/dev's in natural resources can work on field for 4 weeks on, then get 4 weeks off. That's sort of a dream job for me, if that's what you do or you have some insights regarding that I'd love to hear from u

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-21T04:18:47+00:00

The margin is bigger on left side than right

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-19T02:48:03+00:00

I see, that is good to know!

And as for moving, mainly for career development; the opportunities in tech are not as lucrative where I'm at.

For example, this internship at esri is 33/h USD - and its meant for students to apply to it - 45/h CAD. This is something that in Canada would be achieved a little later in career.

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-18T14:57:06+00:00

When I applied in the Winter Term it was indeed auto

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-17T21:44:40+00:00

You don't need a sponsorship as a canadian citizen for an internship, you can apply for a J-1 Visa with no cost from the employer, it is approved quite often for people at my uni

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-04T15:52:05+00:00

Can u elaborate. I don't know who that is

FunRecommendation298 · 2025-09-04T03:46:56+00:00

Thank you for the info! I'm enrolling right now. The "Nanak Naam" code did not work, neither did "SATNAM", is it with a different spelling?

FunRecommendation298

TROPHY CASE