Co-Op and internship opportunities provide the next generation of young professionals an inside look at professional employment. At an organization like Extreme Networks, co-ops become fully immersed in the business. Multiple teams within Extreme hire Co-Ops on a regular basis. Extreme’s Chief People Officer Dean Chabrier is expanding the Co-Op Program and developing a formal university relations effort to hire recent graduates as well.

One thing that is great about the Co-Op Program at Extreme, is that teams get to mold students for a period of time to challenge and prepare them for a career after graduation either at Extreme or elsewhere. These opportunities not only allow Co-Ops to establish themselves for future careers, but also provide Extreme with fresh perspectives from young, creative minds.

Sharing Ideas and Learning Together

Our Salem, NH office has created a great learning environment for Co-Ops like me by hosting “meet-ups” every month to allow fellow Co-Ops from different teams to meet one another and learn more about other departments. These meet-ups also feature a guest speaker from within the company. August’s guest speaker was the Director of Customer Success Mike Lytle.

We all listened to Mike talk about how he advanced and changed his career from working on and leading Extreme’s Global Technical Assistance Center to running the customer success team in marketing. We also learned about the Wi-Fi coach program Mike manages at various stadiums, more about Extreme’s relationship with the NFL, and the significance of the planning and implementing of Extreme’s high capacity networking products at stadiums across the country. In addition, Extreme’s Senior Human Resources Representative, Kira Riley, joined us and shared her thoughts on Extreme’s Co-Op Program.

“Extreme’s Co-Op Program provides students with a unique hands-on experience; one that most companies no longer offer. Co-Ops gain a better understanding of the field they’re interested in.” – Kira Riley, Sr. Human Resources Representative

Providing More Opportunities

I believe my co-op experience at Extreme has been helpful to me as I enter my final year of undergraduate studies and begin evaluating my future career options. I’ve gained real-world work experiences that were complementary to my educational studies and I’ve learned from my colleagues in the services, sales, and marketing departments. Working with the various teams on projects has given me better insight into potential career paths. I’ve greatly appreciated my time at Extreme and believe it is a great experience for any co-op to join such a fun and exciting company on the forefront of digital transformation.

Extreme looks for and hires co-ops periodically throughout the year. If you’re interested in any of our open opportunities, please apply here. For more information on what it’s like to work at Extreme, view our Careers page.

This post was originally published by Services Sales Co-Op Owen Davies.