Being from Ontario, I was researching companies across Canada. I came across Canfor’s co-op position at Northwood Pulp in British Columbia. When reading about the role and its responsibilities on Canfor’s website, I knew I needed to apply for it.
What stood out to me was that this role included the opportunity to complete a professional project that would be presented to Canfor’s leadership and engineering teams at the end of my placement. Canfor also has a track record of hiring successful co-op students as engineers following graduation and mentioned this right on their application. I spoke with my colleagues and professors at Laurentian about whether I should apply for a co-op that’s on the other side of the country. With their support, I decided to go ahead and take the leap.
I went through the interview process with Canfor’s HR and engineering teams. I appreciated how they handled the interview process, making it comfortable and easy to follow. The team that interviewed me was very transparent, kind and even considerate of accommodating my different time zone. After the interview, I got an offer from Canfor starting in September which I gladly accepted.
The co-op term was initially set for 8 months and in January I requested an extension for an additional 4 months. I requested the extension for a few reasons. I genuinely enjoyed working with my colleagues and felt really supported by my management team. The extension also provided me with an opportunity to continue my professional growth as an engineer, and I believed that I could continue to make a valuable contribution to Canfor. Lastly, in Ontario, obtaining a professional engineering license requires a minimum of four years of working experience, with up to one year of that experience being co-op related. The extension was a great fit in helping me achieve my long-term career goals.
This co-op opportunity has been an amazing decision because it has taught me so many things, most importantly how to build my career as an engineer. I’ve had the opportunity to both diversify myself as an engineering student and learn about the pulp and paper process and its global applications.
