The speaker at the class day for Holly’s engineering school last week told them how their education was only half-done and that it was important to find a good first job with someone who would mentor them.  Here are graduates of an Columbia University, an Ivy League school, and they graduate with only half an education!!  It made me realize just how good the co-op program really is.  You do need to get that work experience and understanding .  And it really is helpful to do it while you’re still taking classes because understanding how things you learn in the classroom are applied in real work really impacts what you take from future classes.  In addition to the fact that you can try out different jobs, different companies, understand different workplace dynamics, and have a few job offers waiting for you when you graduate.