I liked being able to see a plant environment up close and work with engineers to see what they do on a daily basis.
What I wish was different
Advice
Seek out help if you are not provided with it.
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Co-Op II
August 2021 • Clinton, IA
What I liked
I liked how independent the work was. I really felt like an engineer, and was given projects to reflect that.
What I wish was different
If it hadn't been COVID times, there are usually a ton of cool experiences and opportunities for co-ops to be involved in.
Advice
I would say be prepared to talk to a lot of people and ask a lot of questions.
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Electrical Engineering Co-op
January - May 2019 • Corpus Christi, TX
What I liked
LyondellBasell does a good job of investing in their interns/co-ops (and as such, Lyondell oftentimes selects their co-ops for full-time offers). During your first term as a co-op, LYB provides you with "Equipment Fundamentals Training" which covers many useful real-world topics and applications that aren't generally covered in the classroom at college (I learned a lot from this!). The people I worked with in Corpus were very helpful and down to earth. I could tell they were thankful to be working where they were, and that left a very positive impression on me.
What I wish was different
If I could've changed anything, I would have worked in one of the plants closer to Houston. Lyondell has a lot of plants in/around the Houston area, so that's where the majority of other co-ops are during a given term. Having other co-ops to go out and do things with always makes a difference, and you never know what kind of friendships might come out of an internship experience like that.
Advice
I know many people who are hesitant to take a semester off of school to do a co-op. I was hesitant as well when I received my first co-op offer. Ultimately, though, I decided to go for it (as well as another co-op term!), and I'm glad I did!! Co-op terms are longer than summer internships (4-5 months vs 2-3 months), and those extra 1-2 months make a big difference in terms of what kind of projects you get to work on. This comes in handy when you have job interviews in the future: you will have more to talk about, and the things you will talk about will be more impressive.
