The Co-op Experience at Integral

Last year I was lucky enough to spend my co-op at Integral. I say “lucky”, because that’s truly how I feel about it. The environment and opportunities at Integral were fantastic. Looking back from now to when I first started, I can see the dramatic advances in my knowledge and skills.

Learning is clearly a core value at Integral. Every day I was learning something new. From the weekly lunch-and-learns and daily discussions on interesting advancements in tech I developed new interests and explored my curiosity. From the meetings and demos I had with customers I learned how to integrate feedback and tailor my proposed solutions to fit specific needs. To complete my daily deliverables I learned new libraries, programs, and languages. Most importantly, my colleagues were always there to teach and support me. I never felt abandoned, and I always felt challenged.

“Integral gave me the freedom to explore and implement my own ideas”

Integral also gave me the freedom to explore and implement my own ideas. For example, the project I spent the majority of my time on did not exist before I started working on it. I was able (and expected) to define the software stack and make key design decisions. I attribute much of my learning and advancement at Integral to this opportunity. At previous co-op placements I would spend much of my time learning how to implement a single solution to a broad problem. At Integral, I was free to explore all the possible solutions and implementations myself. I found this a refreshing reprieve from previous work experience, and a benefit working for a smaller company. Possibly the best way to describe this feeling is that I felt like a real member of the team, not just a co-op student.

“the best part about working at Integral was the mentorship I was provided”

However, the best part about working at Integral was the mentorship I was provided. There were many times that a “quick call” would transform into a lengthy conversation full of past work experiences, answering questions about life after university, and anything else that I wanted to know about. I always knew that if I needed to share a concern, there was someone to listen to it. This is what made my time at Integral so excellent, and why I highly recommend it to other students looking for a co-op.

— Ethan M.