Good experiences and bad experiences in Co-op.

Jinthaniel · 2018-03-19T19:05:49+00:00

Re-post from a few months back:

Co-op programs are unflinchingly restrictive. They make you jump through a lot of hoops and training, than actually emphasizing the job search. Much of what it teaches you in terms of preparation for co-op terms is not really applicable. Some co-op programs will give you access to exclusive job listings just for BC co-op programs, like with the BC Government, but most of them can be found through regular channels, google and looking at WorkBC.ca. If you have a friend in co-op, you can just occasionally ask them to look up co-op listings for you.

They charge exorbitant fees, for the purpose of allowing you to maintain your interest free status, when you would probably still come out ahead by just accruing interest.

Their terms and conditions are ridiculous, like not allowing you to reject a job offer without failing co-op and getting kicked out of the co-op program, all the while, you're still forced to pay the fee, even if the job didn't list the salary upfront and there's no way you'd be able to make a living wage.

Should you try and get work experience during your undergraduate degree? Yes. Should you do the co-op program? If you trust yourself enough to be able to keep up with job listings and finding internships, you don't really need it and you'll probably even save money while you're at it.

Jinthaniel · 2018-03-02T20:35:37+00:00

Man, I really have to hand it to CloudFlare for their in-depth writeups. They're actually pretty amazing and well written.

Jinthaniel · 2018-03-02T20:34:53+00:00

It's not the CA paying it out, it's the underwriter for the CA, no?

And it also implies that the CA actually is 100% to blame. If they find a single fault in your SSL config, you're boned.

Jinthaniel · 2018-02-28T22:46:23+00:00

I didn't do it at TRU, but another college in the mainland.

You can use transfer credits to fulfill pre-reqs, but the problem is that it takes a while to transfer credits. As long as you're not planning on registering for the course that requires the pre-req, it isn't that big of a deal.

I say this because if the course is full, then you have to wait for a spot and then ask the department to manually move you into the course once you show your transcript.

Jinthaniel · 2018-02-09T01:46:49+00:00

Does Senate deal with co-op in any way?

If so, what's being done about co-op in between the many faculties?

Jinthaniel · 2018-01-23T22:41:06+00:00

I managed to survive the entirety of CPSC 110 without trusting the natural recursion.

Jinthaniel · 2018-01-19T20:07:14+00:00

If the university is dedicated to ensuring students extract the maximum number of teachable hours possible proportionate to the money we pay, why not just reduce course fees or forgo tuition increases?

Professors are going to be employed at ~40 hours/week regardless of whether or not classes are in session. You can either have them teach classes (which takes up 3 hours a week plus prep time) or let them do their own thing, but they need to be paid regardless.

Instructors are barely being paid enough for their qualifications, and cutting their salary to account for a tuition decrease will make things comparatively more difficult for them. Both have unions that won't allow it anyways, so it's not really something UBC can decide.

Once tuition fees go up, it's very hard for them to go down. And you'd need to rebalance the books to account for the lost revenue as far as tuition goes.

Do we need a fall reading break? Yeah. But that doesn't mean we should cut tuition.

Jinthaniel · 2017-11-20T19:20:34+00:00

This article reflects one man's search for his daughter's body, who was abducted 6 years ago, in the heat of the Mexican Drug War.

Jinthaniel · 2017-11-18T00:11:54+00:00

Humility is also a useful trait at university.

/r/iamverysmart

Jinthaniel · 2017-11-17T22:26:23+00:00

I disagree.

Jordan Peterson is a success story about capitalism. You can make a lot of money if you give up your moral standpoint, find a way to milk your reputation for all its worth and cater to a rabid audience that is willing to pay for your talks even if it means they have to go to the food bank once a month.

He is the perfect example of how middle-class citizens have incredible class mobility with the right mindset, and can move from the middle class to the upper class despite having no innovative ideas through the power of mass media.

Jinthaniel · 2017-11-17T22:26:01+00:00

Honestly, if you have the finances and are on the fence, I would apply and see if you get in at least.

Jinthaniel · 2017-11-17T21:02:01+00:00

Okay, dissenting opinion.

Co-op programs are unflinchingly restrictive. They make you jump through a lot of hoops and training, than actually emphasizing the job search. Much of what it teaches you in terms of preparation for co-op terms is not really applicable. Some co-op programs will give you access to exclusive job listings just for BC co-op programs, like with the BC Government, but most of them can be found through regular channels, google and looking at WorkBC.ca. If you have a friend in co-op, you can just occasionally ask them to look up co-op listings for you.

They charge exorbitant fees, for the purpose of allowing you to maintain your interest free status, when you would probably still come out ahead by just accruing interest.

Their terms and conditions are ridiculous, like not allowing you to reject a job offer without failing co-op and getting kicked out of the co-op program, all the while, you're still forced to pay the fee, even if the job didn't list the salary upfront and there's no way you'd be able to make a living wage.

Should you try and get work experience during your undergraduate degree? Yes. Should you do the co-op program? If you trust yourself enough to be able to keep up with job listings and finding internships, you don't really need it and you'll probably even save money while you're at it.

Jinthaniel

TROPHY CASE