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Engineering Cooperative Education Program

Just Do It.

Those three words are the best advice we have regarding the co-op program. Although you'll gain excellent knowledge and skills in the classroom at Cal, no amount of homework will give you all the skills you'll need in the real world. Working full time instead of going to school will give you the best opportunity to learn priceless knowledge and skills that will help you succeed as a CEE. A co-op will also give you a nice break in the middle of your undergraduate program, providing you with the chance to take a breather from class and make a little money. Unless you have some kind of unbreakable deadline to graduate quickly (and therefore cannot spare to take a semester off from classes) there is no excuse to not do a co-op. Every student that has co-oped, every employer looking to hire entry level engineers, and every professor you have will echo our advice about co-ops: Just Do It!

What it takes to Qualify:

To participate in the program, you must:

be an engineering student - You must be enrolled in the College of Engineering to participate in the Engineering Co-op program (there's another co-op program for everyone else). If you're not a CEE major yet, what are you waiting for?
have at least sophomore standing - Sorry freshmen.
have a GPA of at least 2.3 - If you don't quite meet this requirement, speak to the co-op office to see if something can be arranged for you.
be a continuing student - You must have classes left to take to get your BS after you're done with the co-op. You cant fulfill all your degree requirements THEN take a co-op.

You may be thinking the same thing that most students think when they consider a co-op: "I've only had about two years of lower divisions classes. I don't possibly know enough to work in an engineering position." Well, you're wrong. The beauty of the co-op program is that the employers do not expect you to know as much as a graduate or experienced engineer (of course, it also means you get paid less than them!). They are hiring you not only to work for them, but also so they can provide you with an education you can't receive in a classroom. Employers are very patient with co-ops; they will give you the time you need (within reason) to learn how to do your job.

How to Apply

Work assignments fall into two periods: January through June and July through December. These boundaries are a little fuzzy; you may end up working for a slightly different period. You are required to apply four to six month prior to the period you are interested in. The co-op office sets an application deadline each semester--usually sometime in March for Spring and in October for Fall. If you meet the above qualifications, visit the co-op office at 306 McLaughlin Hall, 642-6385.

There are two ways to actually get a co-op assignment. You can try for one of the jobs the co-op office is recruiting for or you can find your own job. The co-op office usually has a decent amount of available positions to apply for. These are easy to apply for: once you turn in your application you just tell the co-op office which jobs you are interested in and they will forward an application and resume to the company for you. Companies will then contact you for an interview. You may also try to find a co-op job on your own. The co-op office has information that will help you locate and secure a co-op on your own. You will have to contact the companies yourself, describe the program and the employer's responsibilities (this is all in the info the office will give you), send your resume and application to the companies, and fill out paperwork for the co-op office. This method is certainly more time consuming than going for one of the co-op office's listed jobs, but it may lead to a better experience for you in the end. Our best advice is to do both: apply for the jobs listed by the co-op office AND try to develop a few jobs on your own. Your chances of success will be higher.

Good luck!

Comments? Questions?

youngb@uclink4.berkeley.edu