Steven Sarber, a fourth-year computer science student at Oregon State University, is well aware of how difficult it is to find internship opportunities in the current job climate.
But, with the help of the Multiple Engineering Co-op Program, he just completed a six-month internship and has another one lined up for next year.
“Getting internships is hard, anyone can tell you that,” said Sarber. “And MECOP makes it way easier.”
Since 1978, MECOP has acted as a third party that connects OSU students to companies looking for interns. Originally only including a handful of Oregon-based manufacturing companies, MECOP now partners with more than 150 companies and agencies representing manufacturing, electronics, civil infrastructure and business disciplines. Boeing, Intel and HP are among the headliners, with the full list of partner companies and specific disciplines covered available on the MECOP website.
Students participating in MECOP complete two, six-month full-time paid internships, which usually fall into the spring-summer terms at the end of a student’s junior year and the summer-fall terms after a student’s senior year.
Sarber recently finished the first of his MECOP internships: a spring-summer program at Garmin Aviation Technologies in Salem, Oregon.
“They had me doing real software engineering work. The work I did got sent into production code that’s actually running on real systems that have been updated since I was interning there,” said Sarber. “It closely modeled what a real full-time position as a software engineer would look like.”
Sarber is far from the only student to have such an experience with the program. In 2023, over 600 students participated in MECOP, with the “vast majority” hailing from OSU.
“MECOP offers students more than just a typical internship experience,” Yuliya Dotter, the executive director of MECOP, said in an email. “Students gain exposure to diverse industries, earning wages comparable to entry-level and gaining a year of work experience before graduating.”
Dotter said that around 70% of MECOP alumni are offered positions afterward, and the program helps with job search as well.
“Beyond internships, MECOP Connect (a program for MECOP alumni) offers monthly networking events, professional development opportunities and a job posting board. It’s a program that invests in students’ long-term success,” Dotter said.
Applications for MECOP are due around February of a student’s sophomore year, after which students must participate in brief behavioral interviews.
If accepted, the applications are then sent to the associated companies, who each select students that fit the criteria they need. This process relies on selection profiles submitted by candidates and placement interviews that typically occur in January of a student’s junior year.
Lanell Nolf, the employer relations manager for the College of Engineering at OSU said, “First of all … get work experience. It doesn’t have to be related to your degree, just … get work experience so that you have something to talk about when you’re being interviewed.”
Nolf said that even being involved in clubs or other activities can help an applicant be more well-rounded going to an interview.
“Practice talking to employers. Go to career fairs, go to events that are on-campus … so that your communication skills are good when it’s time for that interview,” Nolf said. She recommends prepping a resume and building out a LinkedIn profile to help prepare for interviews and conversations.
As Sarber looks forward to a second internship in the not-too-distant future, he said there is no reason for a student not to apply for MECOP.
“People … look at the list of companies and think ‘eh, I’m not that interested in any of these companies, I’m not going to apply.’ And then every single person I’ve talked to regrets that decision because they try to get internships outside of MECOP and don’t get anything, because it’s rough out there,” Sarber said. “Just apply. Do the interview, and try to get in. And if you do, great; you’re set.”
For students interested in MECOP, more information can be found on the program’s website, along with the application.
