The NC State Career Development Center’s Co-op Program takes immense pride in the accomplishments of our students. The co-op program is designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world experience, preparing students for successful careers.
This article was originally published on August 27, 2024, by Shawn Tompson at NC State College of Engineering News and has been edited for relevance to the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. You can read the full article here.
This past spring, we celebrated the achievements of our graduating class, who have completed 12 months of full-time co-op experience. Their stories are a testament to the value of hands-on learning and the opportunities that our co-op program provides.
Ethan Loefflholz shares his experience as a Co-op Biomedical Engineer at pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk:
Work and Skills Experience: “Broadly I learned a lot about how to communicate professionally, and what actually working in a team in the workplace means. But primarily I learned in greater depth how to be detail oriented, scientific, and professional in the way that I go about solving problems at work. Finally and most importantly, I learned that mistakes happen in the workplace. What’s important is properly documenting and rectifying the mistake, understanding why it happened, and not letting it affect the rest of your work.”
Advice for prospective co-op students: “Consider co-ops in a field adjacent to your own too, finding what you don’t like to do or sometimes falling in love with a new field is just as important as working in your original field. The skills you gain will be cross disciplinary, and it can help you stand out. One of my jobs I got almost exclusively because of the cross disciplinary skills I gained at my co-op.”