After the supreme clusterfuck that has been my college experience, I will finally graduate next december in EE.

However, i have been considering co-op. I met with my co-op advisor, and should I do it, I will be committed two semesters, delaying my graduation to december 2012.

It would be nice to make money and have that experience on my resume when I graduate, but part of me wants to go ahead and get my degree already (this is my 6th year at ncsu) and possibly settle for an internship next summer.

Does anybody have any experience or suggestions? Help me TWW!

10/22/2010 5:52:29 PM

if you can get a job you like, take it. otherwise, take the coop.

10/22/2010 5:54:34 PM

I'd go ahead and finish up, so I could enjoy myself before the world ends.

10/22/2010 5:58:42 PM

In a similar situation. I choose graduation.

10/22/2010 6:02:57 PM

unless the co-op is going to make a difference between getting a full-time, permanent job and not getting one, just get an actual job.

10/22/2010 6:17:34 PM

if you’ve been here 6 years, what’s another year?

Good coops are easier to get than good jobs, and you’ll be MUCh better positioned to get a good job after a coop.

10/22/2010 10:42:58 PM

Quote :

"Good coops are easier to get than good jobs, and you’ll be MUCh better positioned to get a good job after a coop."

It seemed to me that they were also easier to get then internships. Just don't decide that you have to get a co-op and then take one in an area you're not interested in. I took a power co-op when I was really interested in software and now that experience is essentially useless to me.

10/23/2010 9:15:31 AM

i'd say do the co-op...unless you already have a good amount of professional experience on your resume. if you have little to no professional experience, have nothing currently lined up, and have no promising prospects, do the co-op to get the experience.

10/23/2010 9:18:32 AM

^what he said

10/23/2010 9:25:06 AM

^ what she said

10/23/2010 9:26:21 AM

^what it said

10/23/2010 10:02:02 AM

Quote :

"unless the co-op is going to make a difference between getting a full-time, permanent job and not getting one, just get an actual job."

It will make a difference. Damn near the first question in all my interviews has been "Did you do an internship or co-op in college?"


in other words, ^what they said

10/23/2010 10:19:20 AM

^ or in other words, what I said?


but seriously, if it's all but needed in the field to find a job, then do it. Another thing is that in general, the job market isn't great right now. It may be a little better for the particular field you want to get into. So considering the job market, the co-op would be guaranteed money and experience. And it buys time for the job market to improve.


I still think that if you're confident you can get an entry-level position with just the degree, just get the degree. Don't delay graduation, a full-time job with benefits, and moving on a year unless it's actually necessary.


The questions I'd be asking if I were in your shoes are:

How is the job market for EE (and any particular field you'd like to work in)?

How necessary is it to have a co-op or internship to get an entry-level EE job?

10/23/2010 10:59:54 AM

A co-op could be fun, and would establish a solid relationship with a company that could lead to a salaried position. Since the job market sucks right now (I'm pretty sure EE is included in that, though it's probably doing better than more construction-oriented fields) I would take what opportunities you have left to get experience and to put off the full time job search to give the economy a chance to become a little less hesitant.

10/23/2010 11:41:13 AM

the coop department is run by a bunch of retards

that said - do the coop - you'll regret not having the experience later

10/23/2010 11:57:58 AM

Like most people said in this thread, co-op.

At the very best, it'll secure a full-time job.
At best, it's usually good money since you're already well-into your curriculum.
At worst, it'll let you know who not to work for.
At the very worst (which could still be good in some ways), it'll let you know you actually don't want to do EE.

10/23/2010 12:34:52 PM

I graduated from EE 2 years ago. The market was rough. But with my 2+ years of co-op experience on my resume I had 3 job offers almost a month before I walked.

If you have no real world experience by the time you graduate, you will most likely get stuck. You need to have experience that can demonstrate how solid of an engineer you are, not just a rotation or 2 where you didnt have a lot of responsibilities.

10/23/2010 6:45:52 PM

I was in the same situation a couple years back. I delayed my graduation by taking one class and completed the co-op.

In today's unsure economy, you might as well go for the guaranteed co-op, make comparable money, and get the experience, all with the safety net of being a "student." You may even get a job with that employer. Becoming a full-timer would of course get you a pay raise and you would hopefully have earned the respect of your cohorts by then.

Good luck!

10/24/2010 8:36:25 PM

Although it's been said repeatedly, do the co-op.

I was in school from 2000 - 2004, set to graduate in May 2004 without much of any real world experience. I freaked out and decided I needed to do a co-op, found a good job at a crappy company and stayed there from January - August before heading back for my last semester in Fall 2004 (extra football season!).

The experience I had from the co-op directly led to getting my foot in the door at my first job out of college with a Top 10 Consulting firm.

10/25/2010 9:44:47 AM

folks with undergraduate degrees are a dime a dozen

folks with undergraduate degrees AND relevant work experience are much rarer

do the co-op

10/25/2010 11:07:10 AM

I'd go with the co-op unless you already have a bomb ass job lined up.

10/25/2010 11:42:21 AM

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No one will give a fuck how long you took to graduate after you have your degree. All they will care about is if you can do your job. In interviews, they will care if your experience says you can do your job. Take the co-op. I hated when I heard people in college taking overloaded semesters so they could "get out" and get a job...except when they graduated in 3 years, they had the same exact piece of paper of people who graduated in 4+ years and much more experience to actually land a job.

Co-ops will give you roughly 2/3rds or less the same money as a full time engineering position. Lowest I ever heard was $15, highest was in the $30s (for CSC)...and these were sophomores/juniors. Pay increases with increased credit horus. Also, internships are hard as hell to land right now. The competition is very stiff out there, as everyone who can't get a full time job will try to get an internship.

Co-ops are generally looked at as recruitment programs for companies, so if you do well at your co-op you have a very high chance of continuing a job with that company, with the added benefits of having work history (for stuff like insurance and benefits) rather than if you just started.

Also,

Quote :

"i'd say do the co-op...unless you already have a good amount of professional experience on your resume. if you have little to no professional experience, have nothing currently lined up, and have no promising prospects, do the co-op to get the experience."

10/25/2010 5:41:05 PM

get a part time internship and finish school....

10/25/2010 6:50:10 PM