<p>After reading a number of threads on here, I am wondering if anyone thinks that Co-Ops can end up limiting your opportunities? For instance, lets say that I go work for XYZ company during a 3,4,or 5 term co-op, however, I eventually decide that I dont want to work for XYZ company after I graduate. And, not only that, but what if I decide that I am not really interested in working in that particular industry upon graduation either. Would this be a complete waste of my time then? Basically, it seems like I would now have a year or more of experience with a company that I dont want to work for, in a field that I dont want to work in. Other companies that I am now interested in are hesitant about hiring me because they wonder why I didnt go work for XYZ after divesting so much time with them. Other industries dont see my experience as helpful to them particularly. It kind of seems like this could be a risky commitment if you are unsure exactly what you want to do when you graduate. Any opinions?</p>
<p>If you decide you aren't interested, I think you would be fine. You should have no problem getting interviews at other companies in the same industry. Decide to move to a different industry and at least you should have some relevant engineering experience. As long as you can say that the company you co-oped made you an offer for full-time, you will be fine.</p>
<p>Personally, I am in the first of three terms that I will spend at various oil refineries. They tell me at work that even if I decide not to work for the company, they want to make sure I am actually learning things. Now when I look ahead to graduation and full-time, my biggest concerns with accepting a full-time position are salary/benefits and location. Oil industry can't be beat on salary/benefits, but staying in Michigan is somewhat important to me. Since there is really no oil industry in Michigan outside of a single refinery my company has in Detroit, I'll probably have to check out some other companies. </p>
<p>Anyways, in a year if I am looking to interview for full-time positions, I head up to Exxon, Valero, BP, etc. I figure that a year of experience in the industry should put me way ahead of the average candidate. It takes a long time to learn this kind of stuff. Having this experience at the career fair will be a huge boost. Know something about the industry and have a legitimate interest in it.</p>
<p>Good points. I guess I am slightly concerned because I have really wanted to get into the energy sector, namely, alternative energy. However, I have an interview tomorrow with a company that has really attractive positions for co-ops and that I really would like to work for, however, it is a completely different industry. I'm thinking that if I am offered the position I might take it, but am just worried that the experience I get might end up not being as useful if I go into energy eventually.</p>
<p>If it's something you want to try, go for it. I wasn't too sure about accepting my co-op at first. I looked at it...terrible location, but company was offering a pretty generous package, good opportunity to learn, etc. Realized that hey, the pay on this co-op is better than what an average graduate coming out of our EE program gets. No guarantees I'll get a similar offer in two years. Had to jump on it, to at least get my foot in the door. Have to start somewhere.</p>
<p>You can spin engineering experience however you want. I'm a EE, my assigned duty is in instrumentation, but I've been doing a little bit of everything. Anything from electrical area classification to looking at one-lines to working on a database of critical instruments to working with motor starters, switchgear, etc. While I could definitely tailor my resume to the petroleum industry, I wouldn't have much trouble writing a more general resume that recruiters in other industries would find impressive.</p>