My story and suggestions with University of Waterloo's co-op job system

Post type: Short Excerpt

Note that this is a neutral post. It does not contain my opinion, just a state of factual information.

Unfortunately I will be removing the writing on my website off (at least for now), and turn it in to a real personal website. But I will give a non-biased summary of my journey through the last week here, and since I have gone fairly far into testing the elasticity of the system, if anyone needs advice in the future and whatnot, feel free to look here.

My story in point form:

• I applied to jobs on the first round through The System
• I also applied to some university bound computer science based teaching role jobs
• I wasn't sure if I wanted the job and I wasn't sure where I was headed for this co-op term
• I'd made up my mind that I want to go into industry after some reflection and learning about the tech world in the first month and a half of first round of The System
• When rankings came out, I only got ranked
• I ranked all the teaching related jobs a lowest factor of 9, it was not on my mind that I could possibly get matched
• I got matched
• I asked the employer if I could be out and explained my situation. The employer was understanding to let me go
• I told the The System, The System would not let me go
• I first talked to The System Mediator on the phone, nothing would change
• The  Mediator reported up to a Relations Person, and together they gave me 2 options
• Take the job and get the co-op credit
• Renege the job and lose the co-op credit, and no The System access for next round anyway
•  I asked them why are there no other options and claim that it isn't fair given my situation
• They suggested I start policy 70 - petition or grievance, but I must first choose one of the 2 options.
• At first they wrote me an email about policy 70 and questioned if I still think our meeting is necessary
• I asked that we should talk about why these are the only options
• They've agreed to talk with me, the Relations Person and The Mediator
• I wrote them a rationale as to why I ask to be released from the match and put back on The System
• They read the rationale
• At the meeting they refused that I have a special situation that alleviates me anymore consideration
• Their reason was that there's a policy to follow and I must follow policy
• So I took the matched job - the end

 My situation:

• I am a 5th year teaching program student
• I added computer science as a major in 4th year
• I only have a total of 4 co-op terms
• The first co-op term was in year 1
• The middle 2 co-op terms were obligated to be in teaching
• I also went to teacher's college in the middle of my undergrad (more teaching, so I've accumulated a good deal of teaching experience)
• The last co-op term is the only term I am free to do anything
• The last co-op term is my first time looking for a job in the industry, first time using The System
• In another word, a first year student's worth of experience, in a fifth year's timeline
• New to the tech circle (resume, tech interviews, etc.), I had to learn everything in the first month and a half
• I went though 2 years of schooling hoping I could get industry experience from this co-op term
• My employer was understanding and willing to release me from the first surprise match

I was not special. Neither will most of you. So I've definitely learned many lessons this last month and a half,  and of those, the most important ones I've learned are that:

• For big name tech jobs, interviewers generally contact you outside of The System
• To be unreliant on the mercy of external, one themselves must be strong
• Common sense and humanity is worthless compared to power and policy
• There are strategies to everything, including how to make things work, honesty and head-on reasoning doesn't always work in the real world
• When job hunting, don't hang yourself dead on one tree, use all resources available to you
• Think optimistically, but never give up trying, if you don't try, you are always in the same place

How to make things work - my suggestions for future students who use The System:

• Know that regardless of how special you *think* you are, once you are matched, it is *near* impossible to get out of a match (in fact I want to say it is impossible, but if anyone has had extraneous cases you are welcome to refute me)
• The key to get out of a ranked job that you don't want? Don't get matched. How?
• If you are sure you don't want the job, tell your interviewer at the interview that you don't want it, achieve a mutual agreement between yourself and your employer so they would quietly not rank you. If you have a *strong enough* reason you can also try to sign it off at The System Hub, immediately after your interview, this is best.
• Under the table rule: If you are unsure after the interview, as we all have our uncertainties, remember that you can email your recruiter/interviewer anytime before matching, if you know their contact info, and ask them very nicely to remove the ranking for you, bypassing The System
• Under the table rule: Employers can still get rid of offers/rankings anytime before matching even after rankings come out (there might be some catch to this though I think)
• The System is changing to The New System starting next term, I'm not sure that would work (I know that you get 1 free no-rank for the entire term where you can choose not to rank the employer), but the above two statements generally hold, at least for jobs in the tech world
• In some faculties with 6 co-op terms, you can petition to graduate with 4 co-op terms (I don't know if this will always work), so if you have enough background and you think you can get a job externally after a matching that is unfitting for you, you can tell your Mediator that you want to refute the job, have a seriously reason - it's up to you to find a serious reason.
• OR you can just not say anything, quietly accept the match, and look for a job externally, and 'jump the ship' when you find an external job, then you will have reneged on the match.
• If you renege a match, The System can only suggest to your faculty that you lose the co-op credit, but it is up to your faculty to decide if you lose the credit or not, at which point you will deal with your faculty instead of The System (which could be good or bad).
• If you renege a match, you can no longer use The System to look for a job for that term.
• The System is not rational, but your employers are, "employers are generally on the students' side" - The System told me this today, so you know what to do :) 
• The under the table rules, use at your own risk - don't piss off your employer for good karma, and they might also divulge you to The System that you didn't want the job and contacted them outside of it (you'll be fucked), you need to achieve some discreet mutual understanding between yourself and employer.
• The System generally abides by the employer, regardless of what The System might tell you in the name of policy and fairness (If you want proof, ask about people's stories whose employers have gave The System the 'finger', and The System takes a step back)
• If you become a strong duckling, you don't have to rely on The System, and can be in charge of your own life, especially if you are in tech sector. But if you are weak like me, you better go along with it.

I hope my lesson for the first and last time can be helpful and light the way for some people (usually first years run into this problem), so they get the most return out of their experience. After all, time is ours, and choices are also ours. We do pay The System to guide us, but that might not always happen, so don't go head-on, figure out a strategy. Some secrets of the trade, all the best in your job hunt :) and stay strong!