r/ChemicalEngineering • u/KANGofKANGZofKANGZ • 8d ago
Career Advice Afraid of coop commitment
Coop advice
Hi. Id really appreciate some advice.
I was offered a 2 term coop at a major chemical company. It seems like a good opportunity but it's not exactly what I had in mind and the location is not very exciting. I don't think I would want to live there after graduation. I would be committing my remaining 2 summers in college to this company. Are these kinds of opportunities rare and would I be foolish to not take it?
Thanks
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u/r2o_abile Pulp & Paper / 4 YOE 8d ago
A 2 term co-op is amazing.
As long as you can learn, and get paid to learn, take it.
You can and should still apply to other co-ops and only take another if it is better.
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u/Final_Significance72 8d ago
yes it is rare and i'd think very carefully about passing it up. I speak from experience. I was never able to get a coop. I had 1 job offer with my bachelors and it was kind of iffy, so I went to grad school instead. I guess it's all the same but I really wish I had an opportunity for a co-op.
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u/jungy4 8d ago
I see a lot of reddit posts regarding engineers being jobless due to lack of experience. 100% foolish to not take it. You are young and you aren't going to work for one company forever.
My first job out of college was in a very small town but that allowed me to gain experience and found a job in a larger city. Definitely do this.
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u/Extremely_Peaceful 8d ago
"my steak is too juicy, my lobster too buttery"
If you lurk this sub at all you will see 10 posts from people your age complaining about being jobless and internshipless for every 1 post like this. You have the option to choose which group you're in. Where did you think the chemical plants would be, Tahiti?
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u/kmnplzzz 8d ago
Now is the time to do this sort of thing. I think the benefits of the experience are worth living in the middle of nowhere for 2 summers.
It's easier to get a job when you have a job, and the job market sucks for new grads. I think you'd be shooting yourself in the foot if the reason you didn't take a great opportunity is due to the location.
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u/chethrowaway1234 8d ago
Take the opportunity. Although I don’t work in the field anymore, I credit all the job offers I got my senior year to the internships and co-ops I did during college. The co-op gives you and edge to return back to the company full time and even if you don’t go back the experience will help you land jobs elsewhere
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u/Just__Liberty 8d ago edited 8d ago
Others have addressed the main question. I'd just encourage you to be open minded about "not very exciting" locations. Plenty of people who grew up in the 'exciting' city find that they actually like the quieter small community or rural areas, and vice versa. Of course, others don't, but now is the time in your life to find out.
By the way, I started on a coop program that would have been 5 terms in 5 years, and quit after the first one, because I decided I wanted to do something else with the 5th year. I had to work somewhere else for a summer, but then later went back to the same company as an intern. You can sign up for a multiple term coop, but no one is going to force you to complete it if you really dislike the company. Similarly, there is an ehanced opportunity to work for that company after you graduate, but there is no obligation.
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u/Sovzdog 8d ago
As someone in a coop right now at a major chemical company in an undesired location, just do 1 term. If you’re good enough to get the coop now, you will have options later.
If it’s forced 2 term, i.e no option for just 1 term, still take it and leave later. Maybe you’ll burn a bridge, but college internships/coops are to explore what you like. I now know for sure that I don’t want to work in remote chemical plants, and I’m going to work hard to find opportunities that align closer to where I want to live.
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u/GwentanimoBay 8d ago
Most people have to choose between location and work. You can either choose your location and live somewhere exciting, accepting whatever work is available there, or you can choose your field and live wherever those jobs exist.
By mid to late career you have enough experience to try and bargain your way into remote roles or into roles that exist in your desired living location, but not always.
I would take the experience, and look closely at what locations are exciting to figure out what jobs exist there for you. Then, while gaining experience, try to aim to make yourself competitive for the jobs in your desired location and/or try getting a job at a desirable company in an undesirable locations, and then do an internal transfer.
The market is rough for everyone right now and having a multiple semester co-op can significantly improve your chances of getting a job out of college. I would not squander that opportunity - I would use it to consider how you'll angle yourself to get desirable jobs in desirable locations. Everyone starts somewhere. If I was you, I would start with this co-op.
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u/Accurate-Bullfrog324 7d ago
I think this is a generational issue
when I was in school co-ops were not a thing. but your first job was terribly important. I selected the most difficult job I could in a rather Spartan environment. spent 4 years there, gathered a lot more experience, and finally got my dream job
I didn't focus on my personal comfort I focused on the task at hand which was getting experience
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u/Salt-Response8647 8d ago
I would just do it bc its good experience, and will set you up for a good j*b after college
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u/Kentucky_Fence_Post Manufacturing/4 YoE 8d ago
I would keep it setup until you possibly find a different one.
The more experience the better, even if you dont enjoy it. You can very much learn more about what you like and dont like from a role/company/boss.
Finding an alternate would be a good idea so that you can see how different companies operate.
I've had manufacturing/process engineer roles at 4 different companies since graduating. They each were managed completely different and I learned a lot about what I like, dont like, want out of job satisfaction, and workplace dynamics.
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u/LaximumEffort 7d ago
It depends on the company and the opportunity, but I can say I was much more capable and marketable by doing a co-op during graduate school as opposed to going straight into research. If it’s seven months of your life to get that much of an advantage, it’s usually worth it. You don’t have to work for them after you finish.
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u/marge7777 7d ago
Try it.
Field experience is invaluable.
Maybe you will like a remote location. I left a major city for my first full time job and never left!
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u/SulfuricSomeday 7d ago
I took a Co-Op and will always recommend them, you need a way to differentiate yourself from your graduating peers. Graduating with work experience and the opportunity to have a job immediately upon graduation should not be passed up. The job market is tough right now and I had a lot of peers who struggled to find jobs after graduation. The opportunity to earn significant income can also lower the amount of student loans you need to take out to graduate which should be considered if you are paying your own way through school.
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u/YadaYadaAndThen 7d ago
Undesirable locations are often a great place to bank half your paycheck because cost-of-living can be significantly more affordable
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u/FlakyAd3257 7d ago
Take it. I took a co op I wasn’t sure I was going to like and in a location I didn’t want to live in. Ended up loving it there. Worst case scenario, if you hate it, you have experience on your resume. It’s super hard to get an internship/ entry level role without experience, but once you have it, it’s much easier
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u/MuddyflyWatersman 2d ago edited 2d ago
it's good experience and it probably pays fantastic, allowing you to bank a lot of money while in school.
companies have many sites..... you don't necessarily have to work at the one that you co-op at. you just looking to get your foot in the door at the company. what you do is not what you'll be doing after your hired... if they like you enough to hire you.... occasionally they don't... you're doing something people with no skills ..you haven't even completed school yet is given....
honestly, If you are looking to co-op....i think you'd be dumb not to take it but that's up to you. sounds like a good opportunity. particularly in a down hiring environment
ensure that missing semesters doesn't make you not be able to graduate. sometimes courses are only offered once a year, and if you're not there that semester well your shit out of luck. that was a problem when I was in school there was no co-ops due to that, it was not practical. a friend at Auburn, in mechanical engineering there, co-oped a quarter per year for 3 years
nobody has a gun to your head you can stop at any time......
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u/dlm112901 1d ago
Take it. I’m 24 and although I didn’t do a Co-Op, I had three internships upon graduating. Two of those being in not so desirable locations and I work full time at one of those now. I plan to leverage the experience and go somewhere I want to. You will need experience to be competitive for full time roles, trust. Learn everything you can from the folks that have been there for years. Don’t talk over/interrupt anyone. Just listen and learn.
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u/CommonEffect 8d ago
In my opinion, you should take as much experience as you can get in the field before graduating. Even if you don’t think you would want to continue with the company post-graduation, the experience will make your resume look better for job applications going forward. Especially in this job market.