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- 2023 Archives
- Scientists dig deep and find a way to accurately predict snowmelt after droughts
- Cracking the Case of Missing Snowmelt After Drought
- 2023 Esri Canada GIS Scholarship for SFU
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Daniel Murphy
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Kyle Kusack
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Matthew Taylor
- Anke Baker Wins Staff Achievement Award
- Spring 2023 Virtual Geospeaker Event with Ginger Gosnell-Myers
- CAG Paper Presentation Award - Congratulations to Alysha van Duynhoven!
- Informing & Engaging Urban Youth on Public Hearings: GEOG 363 Final Showcase
- Research Talk: Modeling Urban Wetland Complexities
- Highlight Paper: Quantifying land carbon cycle feedbacks under negative CO2 emissions
- Bright Addae winner of the 2023 SFU ECCE GIS Scholarship Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Jonny Cripps
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Diandra Oliver
- 2023 Geospeaker Presentation with Dr. Pauline McGuirk
- Congratulations to Our Graduates - October 2023
- Evaluating the impact of educational goals at SFU
- The Belongings of Precariously Housed People - A Report
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Takuma Mihara
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Adrienne Arbor
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Claire Shapton
- 2023 Distinguished Speaker Presentation with Dr. Deb Cowen
- Cheers to Paul Degrace and his well-earned retirement!
- 2024 Archives
- Professor Nicholas Blomley Honored with the Community-Engaged Research Achievement Award
- Graduate Students Claire Shapton and Marina Chavez Honored with the Community-Engaged Graduate Scholar Award
- Applications now open: 2024 ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship for SFU
- Associate Professor Rosemary Collard achieves 13th place on SFU Altmetric List
- The PEAK feature: GSU hosts inaugural RANGE conference
- Gabrielle Wong wins First Prize in 2023 Student Learning Commons Writing Contest
- Gabrielle Wong receives Warren Gill Memorial Award
- Professor Nick Blomley receives Warren Gill Memorial Award for Community Impact
- Geography Student Union recipient of the FENV 2024 Changemaker Awards
- Senior Lecturer Tara Holland reveals the secret sauce of great teaching
- Senior Lecturer Tara Holland Receives SFU 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Bright Addae
- Hallway Screens Slides
- 2023 Archives
- Alumni
1. Where did you work?
TransLink (Infrastructure Program Management Department)
2. What type of work did you do during your co-op placement? What were some of your responsibilities?
I worked for TransLink within the Infrastructure Program Management Department. My official title at TransLink was “Student Transportation Planner – GIS” but I can basically be seen as a GIS Technician. My role at TransLink has had me doing all kinds of work. I have had to create data inventories, create map styles & designs, perform updates on existing maps, create web maps and the list goes on. I am basically responsible for assisting my supervisor in providing GIS services for workers all over TransLink. Most of my work has required me to use ArcGIS, Microsoft Excel, and Google Earth.
3. How did the skills/knowledge developed in the classroom apply to your job? What did you learn?
My position mainly made use of the skills and knowledge that I learned in two of my Geography classes: GEOG 255 (Geographic Information Science I) & GEOG 383 (Regional Development & Planning). In GEOG 255, I learned basic concepts and theories of GIS and how to use GIS-related software (mainly ArcGIS). During my time at TransLink, I have made heavy use of ArcGIS. I was also able to hone my ability with ArcGIS during a previous co-op placement.
GEOG 383 taught me about the concepts of regional governance and the regional authorities (of which, TransLink is an example of). I also learned about the organizational structure of TransLink, what its responsibilities are, and how decisions are made. It really saved my supervisor from doing a lot of explaining back when I first started.
4. What was your most memorable co-op experience?
With the opening of the Evergreen Extension, TransLink hosted an employee-only viewing of the extension about a week ahead of the actual opening. Employees were even allowed to bring a limited number of guests or family members. It was really cool to know that I was one of the first among the general public to be on the Evergreen Extension. I even got a commemorative coin just for attending the event!
Another memorable experience was when I got to tour the Burnaby Transit Centre (one of the facilities where our buses are stored and maintained). It was really interesting to be able to see the insides of the buses and learn about all the work that’s necessary to keep them running every day of the week
5. Any words of advice for future co-op students?
My first piece of advice is to start early! I applied for co-op during my first year at SFU and I got my first job offer before I had even completed 20 credits worth of courses. I wouldn’t say that I was the most qualified for the position at the time (before I got the offer, I was previously an ice cream vendor and a data entry technician). Starting early exposes you the hiring process that companies typically go through sooner. You can also figure out what you need to do to make yourself more employable while you’re still young. This can be done by reading through job descriptions so that you can figure out what skills and qualifications employers want you to have.
Secondly, even if you don’t think that you’ll qualify for a position, apply for that job anyway! The more interviews you go through, the more experience you get from it and the better you’ll get at going through interviews.
Lastly, for those of you who are currently on work terms, don’t ever stop trying to develop yourself! A lot of people hunker down and take it easy after they get a co-op job. Personally, I think that being on a work term is a great time for you to develop yourself (and your resume) even further. Try volunteering or taking classes (or external classes) as you go progress through your work terms.