Dr. Ray M. Bowen, Former President, Texas A&M
University
"The Cooperative Education Program offers Aggies an exceptional opportunity
to enhance their academic studies at Texas A&M through application of
learning in a work setting. Additionally, the work component enables Co-op
students to reality-test career interests and goals while acquiring experience
and skills sought by business and industry in today's graduates."
Bernard G. Carbajal, Campus Manager, Texas Instruments,
Inc.
"At Texas Instruments, we tend to hire the vast majority of A&M students
who work with us as Co-op students. These students exhibit the excellent
combination of a strong education and a strong work ethic. We are very pleased
to have Texas A&M University as one of our primary sources for our most
important asset, our people."
Esther Francis, Senior Construction Science, Co-op With
General Homes in Houston
"During my first two terms with General Homes, I received different aspects
of the construction field which I know will be good for me in the future. In my
first term, I was exposed to the inner workings of the corporate office and the
behind-the-scenes of the estimating and purchasing departments. My second term
by far outweighed my first in that I was given hands on field experience
directly related to my major. I was given the opportunity to run a subdivision
and even build a house from ground up. Now, looking forward to my third term, I
expect to be given even more responsibility, and I am looking forward to
building many more houses and running more subdivisions. I would encourage
everyone to co-op at least two semesters. It adds so much more to the person,
their resume, and their pocket book!"
Lori Smith, College Relations Manager, DSC
"We have a large co-op program at DSC Communications. We consistently hire
students from Texas A&M for our program. Texas A&M has one of the best
co-op programs in the nation for students in all disciplines. These students
work in all areas of our business, from Computer Science and Engineering to
Business Analysis and Management. This program serves as our "feeder" group into
entry level professional positions. We typically convert approximately 85% of
our co-op students into full-time upon graduation.
Although the job market today is very good, co-op experience is what can make
the difference between getting "a job" and getting "The Job" of your choice.
Co-op can be the best way for a student to learn about what opportunities
different corporations have to offer. It is a way to gain visibility within a
company you might be interested in, and open doors to the future."
Mike Kincaid, Co-op Program Manager, NASA-JSC
"On the ride home from my Freshman orientation in the summer of 1985, all I
could talk about was the traditions and the excitement of going to a great
university in a few weeks. All my parents could talk about was the co-op
program. At the time I had absolutely zero interest in co-oping. My parents
would say "you can earn money, clarify what you want to do, and get experience
-- all before you graduate." My response was 'it's going to interfere with
football season.'
By the end of my sophomore year, I realized that I wasn't sure what I wanted
to do after I graduated and I finally listened to my parents. I wandered into
the Texas A&M Co-op office, attended an orientation briefing, and read
through what seemed like hundreds of student reports on their personal work
experiences. I was sold! Here was a chance to get some great experience and earn
money while deciding what I wanted to do after graduation.
I interviewed with NASA and quickly accepted the offer when it was presented.
Although I vowed that I would look around when I graduated, I found that I had
grown to love my co-workers, my job, and the Agency by the time I graduated in
1989. After a few years of working in the Human Resources Office, I was asked to
take over the responsibilities of managing Johnson Space Center's co-op program
in 1992. I figured I'd do it for a year or two and then move on to the next
assignment. Now, after almost five years of managing the co-op program, it's
hard to imagine having another job that would be as rewarding. It's a great
opportunity to work with talented students from across the country (140 students
from over 35 different universities). When I first became the Co-op Program
Manager, I assumed that all Universities had great co-op offices where students
could walk in, find a lot of different work opportunities, and land great jobs.
I was in for a shock. What I found is that A&M is unusual -- most
universities provide little or no help to students who are looking for co-op
assignments -- especially for the non-engineers. When I meet with sophomore and
junior Aggies, I tell them to visit the co-op office, no matter what their major
is. After all, they have this great resource and they need to take advantage of
it!
There's no question that the Texas A&M Co-op Program changed my life."
