What is your academic program?
I am in the Biology program
Where did you work?
Working with Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada as a Wildlife Technician doing bird surveys in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan and the southern grasslands of Alberta. There I was essentially just counting birds and that was super fun.
I am working right now as an educator and animal care assistant at a marine education centre on the Sunshine coast. I take care of a wide range of marine animals, and I teach kids about marine biology.
Why did you join co-op?
I joined in the first place to get work experience. I was in my third year and thought I should probably get some experience
How did co-op meet your expectations?
I wouldn’t have known where to get these jobs so it has helped me find these jobs and also know what is out there. I am way better at writing a resume and cover letter now and have gotten to do a couple of different jobs which are nice to try different stuff.
What have been your favourite aspects of your co-op experiences?
All of my field work was the best experience ever! It confirmed that conservation research is the route I want to take. Up in the boreal forest having tons of wildlife encounters with bears, wolves, and moose was super cool.
My current job has been awesome as well being able to work hands-on with a bunch of different animals. I get to feed every single anemone by hand! But yea all the hands-on work has been my favourite.
Do you have any advice for future co-op students?
Apply to tons of jobs, be open-minded with your new job. I know with pretty much every coop I have done, going into the interview I thought that I would never take this job if offered and always ended up accepting. I never thought I would move to Saskatchewan in a million years, and I am so glad I did.
So, apply to things that you might not expect yourself to enjoy. For the four-month coops, it might be daunting to move away for four months but you can literally do anything for four months, it is really not that long