13 - Coop Wrap-up

It has been a while since my last post, but I thought it would be beneficial if I had a post about how my first coop rotation went. I will also include tips to other interns throughout this post.

My coop rotation was at The Lubrizol Corporation, a multi-national chemical company in Greater Cleveland owned by Berkshire Hathaway. I worked in IS in the Security Operations Center. In the SOC, I had responsibilities overseeing the cybersecurity of our company. This was one of the teams I requested in my interview because the idea of cybersecurity was interesting to me and it really was interesting to see how a company manages their security system. The team warmed up to me and valued my opinions when I gave them. It was nice to see that despite my level of experience and my title as a coop, the work and ideas I contributed had a real impact (Tips to interns: If you don't feel valued or are given side projects that don't have much meaning, find another company for your next internship). I was directly responding to security situations and helping with resolving the situation.

Another beneficial aspect of coop is networking. Your team, your mentor, and even the people you meet when you go get coffee in the break area are all people you interact with and could create the bonds to network with them. I also created relationships with the other interns and coops, since they are also students and are in a similar stage of life to me. (Tips to interns: Try to work at a company that has other interns.)

However, from my experience in the SOC, I realized that cybersecurity is not for me. And that was what I expected. Nevertheless, it was a good experience for me as I obtained a lot of general knowledge in this area. It also helps me rule it out as a potential career path. I am very excited about my next rotation and all the wonderful new things I will learn.