Students to Business – Week 4: Building My Business Acumen
In the dynamic realm of business development, every week unfolds with new tasks, projects, and growth opportunities. As high school co-op students venturing into the professional world at U+ Education, our experiences are shaping our understanding of business, teamwork, and the power of effective communication. This week, we delved into industry research and donation campaigns, actively contributing to U+’s goals and objectives.
Join us in this week’s journey as we reflect on our roles as business development assistants, the challenges we faced, the skills we honed, and the meaningful interactions with colleagues and supervisors.
What were the most significant tasks or projects you worked on this week, and how did they contribute to U+'s goals and objectives?
The most significant tasks I worked on this week were my industry research project and donation campaign review task. While completing the industry research project I was able to perform research on U+’s competitors and partners while learning about markets and competition. I really enjoyed this task as I felt that I was able to contribute to the U+ team while also learning new things along the way.
Another important project I worked on was a donation campaign review task where I reviewed and provided feedback on the U+’s Instagram page in order to help the marketing team improve U+ Educations social media presence.
- Aadam Lakhani
The most significant project I worked on this week was the new task assigned by Shandel. The project asks me to do research on a choice of mine and put the information I find into the spreadsheet. It will be used for U+ to contact the companies and get a chance to gain more donations.
- Camilla Liu
Describe a challenge you encountered during your work this week. How did you approach and overcome this challenge, or what steps did you take to seek assistance and learn from it?
A challenge I encountered was adapting to the communication culture through slack and ensuring I remained organized and kept up with deadlines. In order to overcome these challenges I spent some time to browse through Slack and its features in order to better understand how to use the platform and communicate effectively.
Additionally, I connected my calendar to Slack to ensure that all meetings would show up and remind me in my calendar. In order to ensure that I kept up with deadlines and managed my time effectively I also added important due dates to my calendar to stay organized and keep up to date with my current tasks.
- Aadam Lakhani
I received many suggestions from other people regarding our Newmarket program project. Their suggestions are very useful. However, I was confused about how to actually fix those things on our slideshow. So, I contacted my group leader and we make a list of the things that we have to fix and do it step by step.
- Camilla Liu
Reflect on the skills you utilized or developed this week. Which skills were the most important for your tasks, and how do you see them benefiting your future career aspirations?
During my co-op placement at U+ Education this week, I had the opportunity to apply and enhance my researching skills by performing various tasks related to market research. I was able to find data on competitors and customer preferences which provided valuable insights to the U+ team. These skills will definitely benefit me in the future by improving my ability to collect, analyse and understand information. Researching is an important aspect of post-secondary school and in the workforce where I will be able to apply the skills and knowledge I have learned at U+ in order to succeed.
- Aadam Lakhani
Problem-solving skills. I developed this skill by looking at all the suggestions and thinking about how to make improvements. It requires a lot of thinking and solving as I have to figure out what are the useful advice and what I should do in order to make the slideshow better.
- Camilla Liu
What interactions or collaborations with colleagues or supervisors stood out to you this week? How did these interactions enhance your understanding of the workplace and the industry?
Throughout the past couple of weeks I have learned a lot through collaborating with my colleagues and assisting other highschool co-op students. An example of this is when I was given the opportunity to help other students who had not yet finished their onboarding training. As I had just completed the training myself I was able to provide specific instructions and assistance to people who were having trouble with navigating and completing onboarding tasks. These interactions have enhanced my understanding of the workplace and have improved my ability to communicate with others and provide effective support and assistance to my peers.
- Aadam Lakhani
On Friday, I came to the office and asked my supervisor about the new individual task. I was initially stuck on making the video script because I didn’t know where to get relevant information. He explained that I can find useful information on the U+ website and I have to brainstorm if it’s not enough. It really helped me to progress and have the videos done.
- Camilla Liu
Consider any insights or lessons you've gained about U+'s industry or the professional world in general. How do these insights align with your career goals, and do they influence your perspective on your future path?
During my first few weeks working as a co-op student for U+ Education I have learned so much bout the professional world. I have learned how to manage my time effectively, balancing U+ projects with school work and extracurriculars while also ensuring that I performed my tasks to the best of the ability, ensuring my work was of a high quality. This skill of balancing tasks while maintaining a positive attitude and a high work quality has definitely helped me succeed these past few weeks and I am sure they will continue to assist me in my future career path.
- Aadam Lakhani
I realized that it is always important for businesses to cooperate with other businesses. For small businesses, it will be very helpful if you get donations, suggestions or experiences from successful companies. For big companies, it is also good for them to help others as it will build a better corporate image.
- Camilla Liu
As we wrap up another week of our co-op journey, we’ve encountered challenges, developed vital skills, and established strong connections within the team. Our journey has reinforced the importance of time management, problem-solving, and effective communication in the professional world. These insights align with our future career aspirations and underscore the significance of adapting to a fast-paced environment. Working at U+ has provided invaluable lessons about the cooperative nature of businesses and the impact of collaboration. We are excited to continue our voyage from students to business professionals, equipped with newfound wisdom and skills.