Member Submitted Blog Post

Check out this post submitted by WIEP member Amanda Geither!

My Co-Op Experience

By Amanda Geither

Professional Practice Days are coming up, and I wanted to share my co-op experience to encourage freshmen and sophomores to consider interviewing for a co-op position. Participating in the co-op program was the best decision I have made for my career. I started working the summer after my freshman year at Dow Chemical. I worked six terms at Dow for a total of 22 months of real chemical engineering experience! Dow is an amazing company, and has provided me with limitless opportunities. Even though I worked for the same company, I had a completely different experience every work term. I worked in research and development, quality, process automation, improvement engineering, and production engineering. I also worked at six different facilities in four locations across the US: Houston, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and Boston. I networked with hundreds of Dow employees, and found lifelong mentors and friends. Before I came back to Purdue for my senior year, I received and accepted an offer to work full time at Dow as a production engineer near Houston! Being a co-op student did not limit my college experience, it enhanced it. I was still able to have leadership positions in the organizations I am involved in, and I could reconnect with my Purdue friends when I was back on campus. I think freshmen and sophomores should really look into the co-op program; it will set you up for an amazing engineering career!