Featured Student: Kevin Gu

 

"It was challenging to get home from work to apply for MORE jobs and also hard to do interviews during work hours.

I overcame this by being transparent with my managers. You'll come to see that your managers care about your own career progression and understand that you'll be going somewhere else after the internship, too."

What is your field of study?

I am a Combined Major in Business and Computer Science and plan to graduate in May 2026.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

I enrolled in Co-op because I wanted to explore my opportunities and see which career paths were available, by gaining practical experience in different roles.

As someone who didn't have a technical/computer science background, the Co-op program gave me good exposure to different industries, while still maintaining my student status.

In addition, being able to use the U-Pass while working is a huge plus.

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

I currently have worked two placements as of the summer after second year. The first was a 4-month placement at Cyberium Group, a governance, risk and compliance start-up.

The second was as a full-stack software dev co-op at ICBC, which will be for 8 months. For ICBC, I work on the RPA (Robotic Process Automation) team.

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

My favourite experience was the summer event, with our entire division, at my second co-op term at ICBC. I got to meet a lot of people in my division and we all enjoyed a meal together.

What was your best achievement in Co-op?

I think it was at Cyberium, when I helped with ideation for a new product/line of business.

I created pitch decks, logo mock-ups and a few proof-of-concepts of what the product could look like.

It felt like an accomplishment, because I had an impact and contributed as a member of the team.

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

Managing the job search/internship grind while working at the same time challenged me.

It was challenging to get home from work to apply for MORE jobs and also hard to do interviews during work hours.

I overcame this by being transparent with my managers. You'll come to see that your managers care about your own career progression and understand that you'll be going somewhere else after the internship, too.

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

Co-op taught me the soft skills and workplace manners that you need in the workplace. How you carry yourself and being a meaningful contributor to the team is something that comes with experience, but you can build that up for yourself with initiatives/community involvement at school too!

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

It gave me the opportunity to explore different career paths and fields, while still having the safety of retaining my student status. My placements allowed me, as a Combined Major in Business and Computer Science student to explore both the technical and business parts of my career.

What advice would you offer future Co-op students?

Don't be afraid to reach out to people you want to talk to! That's really it.

• If you would like to learn more about a company, don't be afraid to reach out, cold email, etc. those who work at the company to learn more about their core values, what initiatives they work on, etc.!
   
• Don't be afraid to chat with upper year students at UBC; a lot of students are super eager to help, especially if they've been in co-op. They're probably empathetic to your situation as a job-seeker, and can help you out with both career and academia!
   
• Reach out to recruiters, too! If you think about it, the job of recruiters is to find talent. If you go directly to the recruiter, introduce yourself politely and talk about your interest in the company - you're helping them do their job!
   
• Follow up! If somebody doesn't read your message, don't be afraid to follow up with a quick polite bump. The people I've followed up with have all thanked me/appreciated the bump so don't be afraid to follow up too!

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

I unfortunately don't know; I'm relatively early in my career and still exploring the possibilities and opportunities that are out there.

Published: November 2023