Has anyone done co-op before? Can you take a couple of classes (night ones, online) while co-oping?

Thanks

12/13/2007 8:22:34 AM

I am in my 2nd rotation of CO-OP, and I took calc 3 at night last semester and COM and HIS distance ed this semester. You have to be dedicated to both your job and your classes and I asked my boss if it was ok to take them. It really depends on how demanding your field is because some days you have to come in early and work late and you really are too exhausted to go to class. My recommendation, if you do decide to take class, is to take it via distance ed. Check out waketech classes too, they are cheaper and can transfer over, and are relatively easy.

12/13/2007 8:40:32 AM

Quote :

"Major : BUS "

I didn't know they did CO-OPs for business majors..

12/13/2007 4:15:45 PM

they do co-ops for every major

12/13/2007 4:34:14 PM

The co-op office doesn't want you to take classes during your first rotation, but is ok with it after that. Your boss needs to be ok with it, and the co-op office needs to be aware that you are doing it. I took one summer school class each session during my second rotation, and did senior design during my third rotation. For my third rotation, we worked out an arrangement where I only worked ~30 hours a week. The distance ed class was easier to handle than the ones I took on campus. I'd recommend against taking a 5 week summer school while working, because the workload is intense.

Working full time while taking classes really sucks, but is definitely doable as long as your supervisor is on board. I'm currently taking a full time graduate course load while working, and even though my company is paying for it and encouraging me to be in school, they were very clear that it is not allowed to affect my performance or duties at work. About all the slack I've been given is that I'm averaging only about 3 hours of overtime a week instead of the 5-10 that a lot of my coworkers are doing, and they are ok with that. Choose your workload carefully, because if you overload yourself (like I have) you'll get burnt out pretty quick. I'm doing well with work and school, but the lack of free time and always being stressed out takes a big toll on social life and relationships. Good luck if you decide to do both!

12/13/2007 6:32:02 PM

I took online classes while I co-op. I did it because I did not want to get out of the swing of classes while co-oping. I still got spoiled though with having little school work during those semesters. To take classes while co-oping, you are required to fill out a form that you, your manager, and your co-op advisor have to sign so that you can take the class.

12/14/2007 10:16:20 AM

^ bullshit, just don't tell the co-op office anything. I was told I could not take classes my first rotation and did

12/14/2007 11:16:18 AM

I haven't co-oped but I did take some classes when I had a full time internship in Bosnia. The classes I took were through the Friday Center over in Chapel Hill, however they were NCSU classes. They allowed 9 months to complete each class and basically you worked at your own pace and mailed the assignments in as you completed them. I would highly recommend going this route while youre cooping since there are no scheduled times or dates, you won't be put in the position of having to pick between work and school.

12/14/2007 12:58:58 PM

^^ That is what you are supposed to do. And if they catch you, they can drop you from the class. I did take classes my first rotation, but my situation was different. My first coop rotation was during a summer, and I was already taking a summer class before I even had an interview for the job. The coop office said they wanted me to drop the class, and I told them I wouldn't because 1. it would be dropping the class late and 2. I would not get my money back for it.

12/15/2007 9:21:29 AM

the co-op office won't drop you from a damn thing. they make too much money off you to screw around and upset the money machine.

12/15/2007 12:10:36 PM

yeah, such a money machine

I seriously doubt there are more than 200 co-ops in a given semester, multiplied by $400 dollar bucks and you get a whopping 80 grand, yet they have around 5 full time staff that probably average around 100 grand each . . . so yeah, such a money machine.



I wouldn't recommend co-op for a business major (and definitely not for a senior in business), you gain little by going back during the semester over just working internships.

[Edited on December 15, 2007 at 1:42 PM. Reason : ]

12/15/2007 1:40:25 PM

you think susan fuckin matney or anyone else in that office gets $100k a year? are you on glue?

the co-op office is like pure profit dude. the salaries for the employees don't come directly out of the fees for coops.

[Edited on December 15, 2007 at 2:11 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2007 2:09:30 PM

i'm pretty sure the co-op fee is to let you be able to use the gym, get game tickets, ncsu e-mail, health center, etc. as a full time student would

12/15/2007 2:42:52 PM

Quote :

"you think susan fuckin matney or anyone else in that office gets $100k a year? are you on glue? the co-op office is like pure profit dude. the salaries for the employees don't come directly out of the fees for coops. "

I don't care where their salary comes from directly . . . indirectly it can all be lumped together as money coming into the school and money getting paid out by the school.

It wouldn't surprise me if she did get that much money since she is the Associate Director. But even if everyone in that office only got a moderate salary of 30 K a year, that would be 150 grand . . . resulting in a net loss in money for the school.

12/15/2007 5:40:46 PM

Quote :

"I seriously doubt there are more than 200 co-ops in a given semester"

If there aren't, there should be.

12/16/2007 12:43:53 AM

they won't drop you from a damn thing, you pay them they are happy. END OF STORY

12/16/2007 7:25:01 PM

^^ there are. 06-07 there were over 600 co-ops from engineering alone. probably 900-1000 from all majors combined. the co-op fees make up 80% of the program's operating budget, the other 20% comes from university funding. and apparently the guy arguing with me about how much $ the co-op office brings in forgot that there are 3 co-op semesters in a year, not just 1

12/16/2007 7:59:13 PM

I took classes during the day when I co-oped.

Also I'd avoid going through the official co-op process if possible. I was able to find a job without them.

12/16/2007 11:22:15 PM

Quote :

"^^ there are. 06-07 there were over 600 co-ops from engineering alone. probably 900-1000 from all majors combined. the co-op fees make up 80% of the program's operating budget, the other 20% comes from university funding. and apparently the guy arguing with me about how much $ the co-op office brings in forgot that there are 3 co-op semesters in a year, not just 1"

he said in a given semester . . . you're talking total. And do you have anything to back up those figures or are you just pulling them outta your ass? Taking a quick look at the people signed up for all the diff COP sections it looks like there are about 190 people registered for the spring. Probably more people in the summer since some decide they don't want to do more after doing 1 rotation and a good number a people do the first rotation in the summer . . . so maybe 700 total


and I didn't forget there were 3 semesters . . . just somehow I forgot to multiply those figures by 3 I could really care less how much the office brings in . . . my point was only that it is not "the money making machine" that you made it out to be. If you look at the fact that you get all the same things that a normal full time student has access to and you only pay $400 a semester and they almost $700 in fees . . . then it isn't really that bad.

12/19/2007 11:02:26 AM

I am glad to see this thread didn't come off topic at all

Do whatever the fuck you want [/thread]

12/19/2007 3:28:41 PM

Quote :

"i'm pretty sure the co-op fee is to let you be able to use the gym, get game tickets, ncsu e-mail, health center, etc. as a full time student would "

Although this is undoubtedly true, I know for a fact some other schools' co-op fees are about 300 dollars less than NC States. Another student from Clemson who worked with me most of this year said his fee was under 50 dollars, and a co-co-op (for lack of a better term) from UNCC I believe may have had no fee (not sure 100% but def. not 338). Also it doesn't do you a whole lot of good to pay all the same fees when you work/live 3 hours away, as I am co-oping in Charlotte.

Back on topic, I am in my 3rd rotation of co-op for a company called REM Services. It pays great, but I have not really enjoyed my experience, am often given busy work (paper shredding and sweeping anyone) or have to surf the internet to keep from falling asleep while being ignored. The co-op office has been of little or no help to me (my advisor quit while I was in a crisis last semester where the company suddenly threatened to not hire me back in the fall because of a poor attitude; the attitude/not hiring back threat is another story). Anyway in the end is hard to recommend committing to a co-op because you are basically saying you will work at a company for 3 rotations without much of an idea of what you will be doing. I recommend starting in the summer and if you don't like it don't go back as that way it will not affect your graduation timeline. Make sure you get out if you are having a bad time, not worth the trouble even for the money. If you want to know anything else, pm me. Sorry for the long message.

12/20/2007 12:07:59 PM

They "recommend" doing 3 rotations with the same company and almost stress it to be a rule of some type, but if you want to work at 3 different companies then it is up to you. Also with the whole busy work comment, you can easily fix this because there is always work to be done for someone. Hell surfing the internet can be replaced by helping an admin or just doing some more busy work for someone else. You honestly get what you take from co-op, I have had many people leave me for Weeks without work, but being in the field that I am in then there were a dozen other people that had work for me to do.

whtmike can tell you about some work, hell he practically maintained his own project for the company on his 2nd rotation.

You have to earn your responsibilities and increase work loads, they are not just handed out.

12/20/2007 1:31:05 PM

On the topic of other schools' co-op programs . . . many of them encourage their students to co-op at different places each time. I worked with people from all over the country and they were all amazed that our co-op office tries to make it a rule to do 3 rotations with the same company.

12/20/2007 2:17:26 PM

Quote :

"paper shredding and sweeping anyone"

they have obviously figured out by now that you are not what they want when you graduate and they are giving you busy work until the co-op ends and they can finally say "goodbye" to you....they are just going through the emotions...

12/20/2007 2:54:49 PM

Quote :

"And do you have anything to back up those figures or are you just pulling them outta your ass?"

yes, they're figures that are made public by the school. in fact the only thing i couldn't find was an actual copy of the office's budget.
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/news/media/pdfs/ar-summary06-07.pdf
engineering annual summary

http://www.ncsu.edu/assessment/assesspnp/strengthening/co_op_first_year_form.pdf
80%/20% budget numbers

there are people in my office that are amazed when i tell them how much we have to pay for co-op
------------------------------------

back to discussion:
unfortunately, ^ is probably accurate. hiring a co-op is an investment for any company; no offense but with you, they're looking to invest in someone else. unless this company just has no idea how to handle having an intern. but most workplaces will give you the workload they feel you can handle, and you will accept. if they're not giving you any actual responsibilities, have you make yourself available to shoulder the load? do you think they believe you can handle serious tasks? have you not done reviews at the end of each semester?

the idea behind co-op is when you get done with a few rotations, you're at graduation and ideally you have a job in hand already. even if its not with your co-op employer, getting asked back for multiple rotations is something you've earned and other employers recognize that, and will identify you as a potential asset.

and you can always, always, always terminate your co-op with any company. the co-op office doesn't want you to, b/c it reflects poorly on them most of the time when you have instances of people just not wanting to work hard. i know of two co-ops i've worked with who just weren't right for the industry, and both actually ended up changing their majors after seeing what the real world was like.

12/21/2007 12:03:47 AM

yeah i have

1/3/2008 5:36:47 PM

as someone who skipped the chance at a co-op, i must say

do it do it do it do it

1/3/2008 9:37:37 PM

I would suggest co-op to people with less than ideal GPAs that might need that extra boost getting in the door at a company. For many companies co-op/internships are basically long term interviews and you can get a job out of it.

I did one rotation of co-op and decided I didn't really need it and that it was going to hold me back from both finishing school and getting a broader internship experience (b/c they really push staying at the same company for all three rotations). I decided I'd rather go to a different company every summer and get as much variance as possible in my experience. I think being able to see the inner workings of 3 or 4 companies before I even graduate is going to help a ton in deciding what I really want to do.

Thats my two cents. Also, watch out if you start doing it and try to quit. They can get quite pushy Luckily, they don't seem to have any real power to make you come back.

1/5/2008 7:51:58 PM

Oh the coop dept is all talk, you can do whatever the hell you want to. They'll bitch at you and you'll be like whatever and that'll be the end of it.

1/5/2008 8:46:42 PM