Featured Student: Andy Thompson

What is your field of study and when will you graduate?

I study Global Resource Systems in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. It’s a small, interdisciplinary major, which focuses on outputting a rounded, global-thinking student. I specialize in International Development Policy and am required to take a slew of courses across the sciences, economics, languages and more. I’ll graduate in the Spring of 2025.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

Frankly, I hadn’t put much thought into the Co-op program, until a week before the application deadline.

I had always thought that Co-op terms were for engineering students and that they slowed down academic progress, since they add a year to your degree. However, on the day of the application deadline I decided to apply to see what jobs that a student in LFS would have access to. It was one of the best decisions I could have made – and I was shocked at the variety and quantity of jobs available to those in my field.

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

During my first Co-op term, I worked as a policy analyst for the Occupational Health and Safety Unit at Health Canada (HC), where I wrote policy recommendations to help protect HC inspectors on their job sites.

I was very happy to be working for the Government of Canada, since it felt prestigious and the federal government offers many opportunities for students to develop their skills. Once I was in the government system, it was much easier for me to move to Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada and work on the Space Team.

On the Space Team I worked on Canadian space trade and made policy recommendations to mitigate barriers to trade, while maintaining national security. It was during my time on the Space Team that a manager from another unit came to do a presentation about what his team worked on. He managed the Industrial Supply Chains Directorate at ISED and as he presented the projects that his team was undertaking, I decided to reach out about a position – since his area of work was more in-line with what I study. I have now been working for him for four months and have loved it.

My current placement was not meant to be a student position, instead I am filling a vacant policy analyst position on the team, which has been a harsh learning curve, but has shown me that if you are good at your job and bold enough to reach out, many exciting opportunities can present themselves.

As a Junior Policy Analyst with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), can you share any aerospace projects that you worked on?

During my time at ISED, both on the space team and the supply chains directorate I was given the opportunity to work on some high-level federal documents including two memorandums to cabinet and several market analyses in the advanced manufacturing sector.

On the space team, a large part of my job was to keep tabs on the space programs of other countries, as well as on any business movements made by domestic firms. This benefitted Canada’s economy and national security since any rocketry or space-related technology is classified as dual-use and therefore has some tight restrictions on trade.

I also wrote a research paper on the regulatory environment of space trade in Canada and assisted my colleagues in many ad hoc reports. In the Supply Chains Directorate, I’ve mostly been writing reports on specific critical resources in Canada; looking into the possibility of onshoring and determining the risk of a supply chain disruption. Additionally, I’ve contributed to two legislative bills and have written briefing notes for the deputy minister of Industry Branch.

I see that you worked as a policy analyst at both Health Canada and ISED – is this career path that you always knew that you wanted to pursue? Can you share how this developed for you or how you discovered your passion for policy analytics?

I’ve always had an interest in the Government of Canada, since a lot can be accomplished there, albeit perhaps slowly.

That being said, I never thought that I would be working in policy, since I always labeled policy as boring and ineffective. I assumed I would enter the more public-facing parliamentary sphere, which I still may, but the realm of policy has become appealing to me because of the power to change the direction of an entire country for the better.

I view policy as the ultimate puzzle, where each policy must advance Canada on the global chess board and each move needs to create more winners than losers here at home. Our legislation plays a huge role in business, trade and most other aspects of Canadian industry – so the work of ISED feels very meaningful.

How have you connected your academic knowledge as a Land and Food Systems student to your working experiencing in policy analytics?

LFS focuses on systems-thinking, which is used daily in my workplace. When looking at the enormous web of international trade in advanced manufacturing, being able to see how things relate to each other across the supply chain and the world is a must. My work on the Space Team and in the Supply Chains Directorate demonstrate this well, since I often have to trace where we source our imports and what would happen if a certain supplier stops exporting.

Additionally, my studies taught me to write and use Excel efficiently, but those are easier to learn on the job. What matters more is how you think – and I believe LFS gave me a very powerful lens through which to see every problem I face at work.

Can you share your favourite experience while in Co-op?

My favorite experience in my Co-ops has been in the Supply Chains Directorate of ISED where I’ve had the chance to work on two legislative acts.

I’m not able to share which Bills, but I was part of the review process before they were submitted to cabinet. The work felt very meaningful, since I was at the forefront of policy development and working alongside several teams of hard-working civil servants representing many stakeholders.

I consider myself very fortunate to have been given the opportunity and responsibility to contribute.

What was your best achievement in Co-op?

My best achievement in Co-op is hard to choose, because I’ve always had multiple projects each term.

On the Space Team, I wrote a comprehensive internal report titled The State of Canadian Space Trade, which outlined the regulatory environment for the Canadian space sector, as well as international opportunities for expansion/partnership.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge throughout all of my Co-op terms thus far has been remote work.

Initially it was novel and fun with a very short commute, but I soon realized that if I was going to work effectively, I would need very good habits and an extreme degree of discipline. It’s very important to me that I earn my pay and act with integrity, so I’ve been able to develop habits such as not having my phone while I work in order to remove distractions while on the clock.

Additionally, I’ve amped up my connections outside of work, because working remotely would be unbearably lonely if you don’t supplement with social connections outside of work. For those beginning to work fully remotely, I encourage you to force yourself into good habits early and maintain them.

How do you feel Co-op helped your personal growth?

Co-op helped me develop a strong work ethic and more discipline than I've ever had.

As the last questions brought up, working remotely has made me build productive work habits that I will carry with me into my last year of my undergrad and beyond.

Additionally, I’ve developed my communication skills, delivered several presentations to large groups and been given many responsibilities which have grown me as a person.

How do you feel Co-op has helped your career?

My Co-op terms provided me with a wide breadth of interesting resume points and excellent career-building experiences.

Since I want to pursue policy analysis in the short-term, my time working in the public service has been invaluable to me, since once you’re in the Government of Canada, it’s much easier to move around and find new teams to work on.

I think one of the greatest assets that a person can accrue over their career, especially early on in their career, is responsibility – which I’ve been able to collect and demonstrate here in the public service. Responsibility is one of the most transferable traits from job-to-job, because if people see that you’ve been responsible for something important in one area, I’ve found that they typically offer you responsibilities in other areas, even if the areas are unrelated.

For anyone beginning their Co-op journeys, or careers in general, my advice is to take on big projects and demonstrate responsibility, because your abilities and other people’s perception of you will grow exponentially.

What advice would you offer to future Co-op students?

For future Co-op students, I have no specific advice, other than perhaps cast a wide net in your initial job search.

As for more general advice, just be a hard worker and a kind, friendly person. If employers (a) like you and (b) trust your work ethic and quality, it is far easier to find jobs than someone with straight A’s who’s unpleasant to be around.

I found my last placement, because I had good rapport with my former employer and a friendly conversation with my current employer, not because I had the hard skills necessary for the position at that point.

Do whatever you can to be a pleasant employee/co-worker and you will receive more patience while you learn your job and greater opportunities in the future.

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

After graduation I plan to move to Ottawa, where I will pursue a Master’s degree in the field of International Development.

Two of my Co-op employers have verbally offered me positions post-graduation in Ottawa, so I have work there and the opportunities are plentiful.

One day I plan to manage a non-profit in the international development field, but for now I have some more foundation to lay via a Master’s degree and work experience.