Ya’el: My Co-op Experience

Nerves and excitement feel a lot alike, so when I accepted my very first co-op work placement with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills (PSFS), let’s just say I was excited. As a PhD candidate in the University of British Columbia’s English Language and Literature department, a co-op is more than a valuable work opportunity—it’s an excuse not to write my dissertation. Okay, joking aside, it’s also a safeguard against a precarious academic job market and an opportunity to see how my skills in research and critical thinking might be applied in “the real world.”

I’ve been applying those skills as a Research and Policy Assistant for PSFS’s Gender Based Analysis+ (GBA+) Champions group. GBA+ is an analytical framework based on the concept of intersectionality, which explains how overlapping identities and experiences (such as race, class and gender) not only make us who we are but also complicate our experiences of (in)equity. More equitable outcomes require policy and programs that are designed with the margins in mind.

Designing resources to help employees engage and co-develop initiatives with the parties that these initiatives affect has been an exciting challenge. As a public service novice, I’ve had to adapt to unfamiliar systems and protocols. The connections I’ve made with other employees, inside and outside of PSFS, have been what’s kept me afloat during this experience. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and laugh with energetic and thoughtful people whose work, and the ethical motivations behind it, have become a personal inspiration. It’s been a privilege to listen to many voices and incorporate them into a project meant to help many more.

In my short time at PSFS, I have worked under shifting priorities and increased workload capacities of my mentors and supervisors. The hurdles and challenges required me to be flexible, even when I was unsure of next steps, but they also allowed me to discover what excites me: the opportunity to make a difference, no matter how small.  

We live in precarious times, and that’s when showing up is most important. With the help of my supervisor and the connections I’ve made at PSFS, what had been cause for nerves has become cause for excitement. The uncertainty has framed my job and its value, and it’s become a pleasure to push forward on the essential work of GBA+, not just for those I’ve met, but for those who will benefit from my work in the future.

Want to learn about the benefits of completing a co-op term and how it works? Check out the Co-operative Education page.