More Than Education
April 10th, 2008More Than Education
Kettering University Co-op Program
A friend of mine recently told me about the Kettering University engineering co-op programs. After learning a bit more about it, I’m astonished that more colleges and universities don’t offer similar programs.
I’ve known about Kettering University for many years, and have always known it to be a very good school. In fact, just recently, US News and World Report has ranked Kettering University as “the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering” in its annual “America’s Best Colleges Guide for 2008″. But, the details of the co-op program were news to me.
The Kettering co-op program is unique in that students are placed in supporting companies during their freshman year. Then, their schedules rotate between school and their co-op job, alternating every 3 months.
This program is so much better than either the standard co-op program offered by most universities, or the traditional classroom-only approach. The Kettering co-op program provides the student with the opportunity to gain practical experience from the very beginning of their Kettering education.
The co-op students even earn a professional salary. Some students at Kettering enjoy earnings as high as $65,000 during their co-op program.
In my opinion, the salary is secondary to the great networking opportunities which would become available to the co-op student while working with well-connecting corporate managers.
The job market is as competitive today as it’s ever been, and it’s safe to assume that it will become even more competitive in the future. The opportunity to gain valuable experience and professional connections and references, in addition to a college degree, will give graduating students a tremendous advantage when they begin their new careers.
