Discover Careers and Gain Experience at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC

The question of “what do you want to do when you’re done school” reappears over and over again for post-secondary students.  And sometimes, it’s not the easiest thing figuring out what you actually want in a career.  Co-op Education at Thompson Rivers University can help.

Most of us choose some form of post-secondary education to help us get our dream careers after graduation…but in reality, it’s not that simple anymore.  The modern, 21st century student has to do so much more than just graduate with their degree.  Thompson Rivers University’s Career Education department is there to help students with Co-operative Education (or co-op education for short) during their degree so they have the contacts and experience before they even graduate.

Co-op education is an educational program allowing students to gain practical experience while still in university.  It combines on-campus study with paid, off-campus work experience where students develop strong skill sets for any future career they might pursue.  Students in the co-operative education program now can also gain course credit towards their degree as an additional bonus. Furthermore, the experiences gained through co-op education helps students narrow their focus in completing their degree and opens their eyes to a diversified selection of the various careers that actually exist. 

Take myself as an example: like hundreds of other business administration students in second year, I knew I wanted to major in marketing but I just wasn’t sure what I actually wanted to do with my marketing degree.  After I completed three co-op education semesters, I found a place (even a purpose) in student recruiting, an area I didn’t even know existed before I saw the job positing. Now working to complete my degree, my co-op experience gave me the added drive of having an ultimate goal or at the very least, idea of what I want to do with the rest of my life.

The co-op education process involves alternating academic semesters with co-op terms (for example, attending classes for the fall semester and working as a co-op student for the winter semester), and the co-op education department works with hundreds of partner employers around the world and supports students in successfully landing a co-op job.  So students are never alone at any point in this process.
Co-op education at TRU is available to students in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Computing Science, Bachelor of Tourism Management, Bachelor of Natural Resource Science, Architectural and Engineering Technology Diploma, and Computing Systems Operations Management Diploma.

For more information on TRU’s Co-op Education program, visit www.tru.ca/careereducation.