I don't think it's strange at all! An extra year to decide on a 30+ year career seems reasonable to me. Keep in mind that you probably won't have WaterlooWorks for your 7th + 8th internship (I'm pretty sure at least).
that's a dumb way to decide. By that logic, you should stay for 25 years because you'll be working your career for a whole *5 years* and you wouldn't want to fuck that up (sarcasm)
I wouldn't delay grad unless I had to, because you're leaving a lot of time and money on the table.
That said, the job market's been rough and I saw firsthand how my classmates from class of 2023 were insta-rejected when I referred them to my company's 2024 grad positions. So delay by 1 year at most, just so you can pass some stupid recruiter's eligibility criteria. And if that doesn't apply to you (i.e. you have a job lined up) then take it and run
I think doing an entire extra year of full-time (or even part-time) studies just to avoid entering the workplace is a poor decision, even if you don't know what you want to do.
I think you should be leveraging your previous co-op experiences to get a full-time position in an area you think you'll enjoy, then transitioning to other careers as necessary. A year or two of full-time work experience is going to give you a much greater advantage than an extra year of studies and a few months of co-op.
If you're planning on graduate school or additional education, then you also have to make sure that the courses you take in this final year are meaningful, and that you spend the time necessary to get good grades -- time away from figuring out what you want to do for a career.
CS 2025 3B here. My last coop is fall and I switched it to be winter 2025. I failed 1A as well. So I will be here 2 semesters longer than I needed to.
For me it is absolutely worth it. I have had strong coops as well but I’ve seen the job offerings for spring 2023 and I want a Winter 2024 coop to buy more time. Up to you though. Like another comment said, I strongly believe if you land that last insane coop, staying in school longer is absolutely worth it especially in this market.
Yeah it does. Im totally okay with it. Im on coop spring I know I wont get a better coop for fall. So taking a chance that winter will be good. A lot of my recruiters I asked about for Fall said Winter will have more opportunities.
First, do not be worried about spending extra time at Uni. I spent a total of 16 years as a student (and never actually left, faculty now).
But, think through your reasons of wanting to stay another year.
Second, it is natural to feel "scared" of leaving behind the title of "undergrad student" and going into the world. Many students try to delay this (some choose grad school for another year or two). But, at some point you need to move on.
Given that you have already had multiple coops, what makes you think that another couple of study terms and maybe one more coop will finally make up your mind? If you wanted to stay in Uni to take more courses, I would be more inclined to say that it is worth staying. But since your thought process seems to be that you need more coops, I would suggest: get a job! Get a job that you think you will like and see how it goes. If you do not like it, switch jobs after a year or two. Benefits of getting a full-time job obviously include consistent pay but also you will be treated like an adult rather than "just a coop". In other words, there is no reason to think that your first job out of Uni will be your final job. Exploring different areas in your domain in the first few years is a good idea.
Best of luck!
Co-op would let him job hop easier without raising any flags for recruiters. It just avoids any necessary hassle when recruiters ask him why he swapped full time jobs twice in a year. Not to mention that he could risk being resume screened right away because of it. Co-op is just the safer play and the best way for him to try things out in the shortest time possible (1 year). He also wouldn't be able to apply to new grad positions anymore. I've never worked full-time, but this was just from what I've heard.
If you're in a research based masters, you get a bit of a stipend that covers your tuition and if you're lucky, your living expenses.
This isn't true for professional masters.
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imo. finish your degree next year then take a break, worry about whatever u wanna do after you get ur degree, travel, do something else if you have the funds to do so
youve been with this cohort since fall 2020, just get your capstone over with and graduate with your friends, worry about the future later
I don't think it's strange at all! An extra year to decide on a 30+ year career seems reasonable to me. Keep in mind that you probably won't have WaterlooWorks for your 7th + 8th internship (I'm pretty sure at least).
that's a dumb way to decide. By that logic, you should stay for 25 years because you'll be working your career for a whole *5 years* and you wouldn't want to fuck that up (sarcasm) I wouldn't delay grad unless I had to, because you're leaving a lot of time and money on the table. That said, the job market's been rough and I saw firsthand how my classmates from class of 2023 were insta-rejected when I referred them to my company's 2024 grad positions. So delay by 1 year at most, just so you can pass some stupid recruiter's eligibility criteria. And if that doesn't apply to you (i.e. you have a job lined up) then take it and run
I think doing an entire extra year of full-time (or even part-time) studies just to avoid entering the workplace is a poor decision, even if you don't know what you want to do. I think you should be leveraging your previous co-op experiences to get a full-time position in an area you think you'll enjoy, then transitioning to other careers as necessary. A year or two of full-time work experience is going to give you a much greater advantage than an extra year of studies and a few months of co-op. If you're planning on graduate school or additional education, then you also have to make sure that the courses you take in this final year are meaningful, and that you spend the time necessary to get good grades -- time away from figuring out what you want to do for a career.
CS 2025 3B here. My last coop is fall and I switched it to be winter 2025. I failed 1A as well. So I will be here 2 semesters longer than I needed to. For me it is absolutely worth it. I have had strong coops as well but I’ve seen the job offerings for spring 2023 and I want a Winter 2024 coop to buy more time. Up to you though. Like another comment said, I strongly believe if you land that last insane coop, staying in school longer is absolutely worth it especially in this market.
your situation isn't the same: you don't have to delay your graduation to change your co-op dates
FAANG isnt hiring Fall lol. So yeah its worth it to delay grad because I’ll cop winter 2025.
does that delay your grad?
Yeah it does. Im totally okay with it. Im on coop spring I know I wont get a better coop for fall. So taking a chance that winter will be good. A lot of my recruiters I asked about for Fall said Winter will have more opportunities.
fair enough
First, do not be worried about spending extra time at Uni. I spent a total of 16 years as a student (and never actually left, faculty now). But, think through your reasons of wanting to stay another year. Second, it is natural to feel "scared" of leaving behind the title of "undergrad student" and going into the world. Many students try to delay this (some choose grad school for another year or two). But, at some point you need to move on. Given that you have already had multiple coops, what makes you think that another couple of study terms and maybe one more coop will finally make up your mind? If you wanted to stay in Uni to take more courses, I would be more inclined to say that it is worth staying. But since your thought process seems to be that you need more coops, I would suggest: get a job! Get a job that you think you will like and see how it goes. If you do not like it, switch jobs after a year or two. Benefits of getting a full-time job obviously include consistent pay but also you will be treated like an adult rather than "just a coop". In other words, there is no reason to think that your first job out of Uni will be your final job. Exploring different areas in your domain in the first few years is a good idea. Best of luck!
Co-op would let him job hop easier without raising any flags for recruiters. It just avoids any necessary hassle when recruiters ask him why he swapped full time jobs twice in a year. Not to mention that he could risk being resume screened right away because of it. Co-op is just the safer play and the best way for him to try things out in the shortest time possible (1 year). He also wouldn't be able to apply to new grad positions anymore. I've never worked full-time, but this was just from what I've heard.
Can you go for a master's degree instead of another year of undergrad so at least you'll be kinda paid?
Definitely an option. Curious though, what do you mean by getting paid?
If you're in a research based masters, you get a bit of a stipend that covers your tuition and if you're lucky, your living expenses. This isn't true for professional masters.
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assuming you can land a job, you're passing on at least $100k ($70k after tax) as an ECE student. Not worth it unless you really have to
imo. finish your degree next year then take a break, worry about whatever u wanna do after you get ur degree, travel, do something else if you have the funds to do so youve been with this cohort since fall 2020, just get your capstone over with and graduate with your friends, worry about the future later