By: Salma Ahmed, Candidate for Honours Environment & Business, Co-op
University of Waterloo
My name is Salma Ahmed and I am a Co-op Student in the Environment and Business program at the University of Waterloo. Now if you know anything about co-op or student work placements, you know sometimes it can be an awkward transition to leave your routine of waking up at noon, eating dinner in your bed, going to classes in sweatpants, and repeat. Not only are you thrown into a totally new environment where people seem to speak some type of foreign corporate language but you get a snap shot of what life could really be like for you after the ‘glory days’ are over… more often than not, it’s scary! Hearing tall tales from my peers about their co-op experiences made me terrified to start my own, wondering if I will be treated as ‘just the co-op’ or ‘the new girl’.
Starting at Watters Environmental I was surprised to find that people didn’t use language I couldn’t understand. They were able to express their own style, and treated me as if they had known me for longer than a few short weeks. It seemed to be a place that encourages you to be creative, unique and think outside of the box. Now granted, I can’t wake up at noon or stroll into the office wearing sweats but I find myself looking forward to coming to work every day despite my four hour commute.
I haven’t encountered the stereotypical co-op experiences my friends told me about. My boss isn’t this crazy shouting person, my supervisor isn’t this negligent employee concerned with bigger things than just a co-op student and my fellow employees don’t flaunt their expertise where I have none.
Instead, I feel like I belong to the family. The Watters family makes decisions together; valuing everyone’s input equally and treats everyone fairly. They lean on each other and take the time to teach each other new ways of accomplishing a goal. It is really an ‘all hands on deck’ mentality where everyone works just as hard as they play.
The amount that I have learned in a matter of a few months could have only occurred under the conditions here at Watters Environmental. Having never worked in an office before I knew I would be way outside of my comfort zone. I don’t know what it is about this place, but it makes me feel comfortable learning even without my sweatpants on.
