The LMI Co-op Ambassadors Program allows future co-op students to get to know more about LMI’s past co-op students, have an opportunity to get in touch with them, and to get to know more about LMI as a whole. This is a great way for prospective students to ask questions, engage in meaningful conversations and ultimately decide if LMI will be an interesting and exciting workplace for them.
Be sure to check this page for any updates or news in relation to our co-op ambassadors!
Darren Fok
Software Developer in Test (SDET) Co-op
"I loved the working environment! The hybrid format allowed me to have a good balance of working from home some days (as commuting could take long), while also having a chance to interact with co-workers on the days that I was working from the office. It was the best of both worlds."
University: Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Major: Engineering Science
1. What did a typical 'day in the life' look like as a Co-op student at LMI Technologies? What were some tasks & projects that you worked on?
Working at LMI as a co-op student, I would typically start my day by checking my Jira sprint board to check what tasks I had lined up for the day. It was then followed up by our daily standup meetings, and after that I'd be back to work on the tasks I was assigned. Sometimes, there could be some variation, such as demo meetings, 1-on-1 calls with my manager for feedback on my work, or helping co-workers with some lab work. Some of the tasks and projects I had worked on were testing features and bugfixes, implementing a new type of automated testing, and lastly, designing and implementing a physical black box that could be used to test a certain feature on LMI's sensors.
2. What was your biggest take away from your time as a co-op student? How has this co-op placement helped prepare you for your future?
My biggest takeaway from my time as a co-op student was learning how a structured and organized industry environment looked like, and how to conduct myself in a professional environment. Within schoolwork, whether individual or collaborative, it is typically quite disorganized. Being able to work under a structured and organized environment has taught me how to be successful and efficient in programming, and is something I will implement in my future projects, whether working alone, or in a group.
3. What was the working environment like for you at LMI? For example, did you enjoy the hybrid work model, etc.
I loved the working environment! The hybrid format allowed me to have a good balance of working from home some days (as commuting could take long), while also having a chance to interact with co-workers on the days that I was working from the office. It was the best of both worlds.
4. What were some of your favorite things / perks about being a co-op student at LMI?
My favorite thing about being a co-op student at LMI was how connected I felt to the company and my co-workers. Whether it be through company events, where I could meet people in other departments in fun activities (such as the LMI Olympics, block party), team bonding, where I could bond with the people I worked with immediately (Grouse Mountain team-bonding activities), or things as simple as having lunches with co-workers, I felt connected on my multiple levels to the company itself and the people within it.
5. What have you learned from your placement at LMI that you did not know before in relation to your studies / major?
Test automation! It isn't explored much in lower level courses, and wasn't an area that I was aware of before.
6. How did you feel your skills contributed to your specific department and the overall organization?
I felt my skills contributed in tangible and visible ways to the department I was working under. One example would be the test cases I wrote, as they would immediately be run the following night and onwards in the nightly regression runs. Another example would be the black box project I had worked on, as I was able to see my co-workers have an easier time testing features via the work I had done.
7. Aside from the work, what things did you enjoy the most at LMI?
The company culture - everyone was friendly and welcoming, and LMI, to me, always had a sense of family to it. The company also went out of its way to host company-wide events and smaller team-bonding events that allowed me to feel welcome, and be myself.
Aneel Atwal
Application Specialist Co-op
"My ability to learn and adapt quickly proved useful when taking on the inventory website project from the previous co-ops. My programming skills contributed to my ability to work on the GoPxL SDK. Furthermore, my communication skills were a strong asset to have since most of the work I did was as a part of a team."
University: Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Major: Engineering Science
1. What did a typical 'day in the life' look like as a Co-op student at LMI Technologies? What were some tasks & projects that you worked on?
My position was an Application Specialist and I worked as a part of the product management team. I worked on the GoPxL SDK as well as building useful tools for the team to use.
2. What was your biggest take away from your time as a co-op student? How has this co-op placement helped prepare you for your future?
My biggest takeaways were my improved programming skills as well as my experience working closely with others in a team. Both will be incredibly useful for my future career. My programming ability will be a valuable technical skill, and the communication skills I've built through my experience working in a team will be beneficial when collaborating with others in the workplace.
3. What was the working environment like for you at LMI? For example, did you enjoy the hybrid work model, etc.
I enjoyed the flexible work environment at LMI. I liked the fact that I was able to work 7-3 rather than 9-5, since I am a morning person. The office was nice and the coworkers were all very friendly, which made working in the office an enjoyable experience.
4. What were some of your favorite things / perks about being a co-op student at LMI?
I appreciated the fact that it was easy to ask for help from others. As a co-op student, I was learning many things for the first time, and my team members were always happy to help me out in learning and understanding new tools and concepts. I also liked that the co-ops would rotate every 4 months in my team, meaning there was always a "senior" and a "junior" co-op at the same time. This was extremely helpful when it came to learning about the company's systems and getting started on new projects.
5. What have you learned from your placement at LMI that you did not know before in relation to your studies / major?
I learned a lot of web development since I was working on the inventory website application, which is something I had very little experience with before this position. I also further improved my skills with python, C++, and C#.
6. How did you feel your skills contributed to your specific department and the overall organization?
My ability to learn and adapt quickly proved useful when taking on the inventory website project from the previous co-ops. My programming skills contributed to my ability to work on the GoPxL SDK. Furthermore, my communication skills were a strong asset to have since most of the work I did was as a part of a team.
7. Aside from the work, what things did you enjoy the most at LMI?
I enjoyed the company culture and how friendly and welcoming the environment was. I especially enjoyed the team building events and company lunches, which made the work culture lively and memorable.
Michelle Zhou
Software Developer (Back End) Co-op
"My biggest takeaway from my time as a co-op student would be gaining valuable experience in software development and teamwork on a long-term project. In the future, I will be able to apply technical skills such as debugging and version control that I have learned at LMI."
University: University of British Columbia (UBC)
Major: Computer Science
1. What did a typical 'day in the life' look like as a Co-op student at LMI Technologies? What were some tasks & projects that you worked on?
I primarily worked on the GoPxL project and collaborated with team members on bug fixes and feature development. Some tasks I worked on included cleaning up documentation, creating development tools, and filing tickets for features or bugs.
2. What was your biggest take away from your time as a co-op student? How has this co-op placement helped prepare you for your future?
My biggest takeaway from my time as a co-op student would be gaining valuable experience in software development and teamwork on a long-term project. In the future, I will be able to apply technical skills such as debugging and version control that I have learned at LMI.
3. What was the working environment like for you at LMI? For example, did you enjoy the hybrid work model, etc.
The work environment followed a hybrid model, with three in-person days and two remote days. I enjoyed this balance, as the in-person days allowed me to interact with my team and fellow co-ops to build a sense of community, while still having the flexibility to work remotely.
4. What were some of your favorite things / perks about being a co-op student at LMI?
LMI is highly committed to the co-op program and provides all the necessary resources for co-op students to succeed. For example, I received multiple opportunities to work on and improve my co-op project with consistent, helpful feedback. Additionally, I was able to learn about and practice essential workplace and computer science skills.
5. What have you learned from your placement at LMI that you did not know before in relation to your studies / major?
I learned about debugging, version control, Scrum/Agile development, and automation.
6. How did you feel your skills contributed to your specific department and the overall organization?
I was able to contribute to the Gocator department with my C++ skills in development, along with being diligent in identifying bugs and adapting well to changing requirements.
7. Aside from the work, what things did you enjoy the most at LMI?
Aside from work, I thoroughly enjoyed the culture at LMI, with fun events such as the company Olympics and health challenges, as well as many supportive coworkers who were a pleasure to work with.
Jaclyn Canlas
Application Specialist Co-op
"I worked as an Application Specialist in the Product Management department. My typical day started with a check-in with my manager on progress updates for the week. The projects I worked on were diverse in scope- some weeks I’d be at my desk, data mining and analyzing sensor behaviours in Python, working on SDK applications or developing an inventory management website for the company’s internal use. On other weeks, I’d be in the R&D labs and production floor, using calibration and factory production equipment to perform product validation tests on various sensors."
University: University of British Columbia (UBC)
Major: Computer and Mechanical Engineering
1. What did a typical 'day in the life' look like as a Co-op student at LMI Technologies? What were some tasks & projects that you worked on?
I worked as an Application Specialist in the Product Management department. My typical day started with a check-in with my manager on progress updates for the week. The projects I worked on were diverse in scope- some weeks I’d be at my desk, data mining and analyzing sensor behaviours in Python, working on SDK applications or developing an inventory management website for the company’s internal use. On other weeks, I’d be in the R&D labs and production floor, using calibration and factory production equipment to perform product validation tests on various sensors.Â
2. What was your biggest take away from your time as a co-op student? How has this co-op placement helped prepare you for your future?
During my internship, I learned about the importance of communication and building trust as part of that. The diversity of projects I worked on helped me not only develop valuable technical skills in product validation and software development but also adaptability and the ability to learn quickly on the job. I’ll definitely take the lessons I learned here in communication and adaptability with me throughout my career.
3. What was the working environment like for you at LMI? For example, did you enjoy the hybrid work model, etc.
I really enjoyed the hybrid work model (2 in-person, 3 remote) which varied depending on the nature of the tasks we had per week. LMI's working environment encouraged curiosity and my coworkers loved it when I asked them any questions I had about the company products, workflow, and technical concepts. My manager also had a high-trust management style that encouraged me to think critically, be curious, and be proactive in contributing to the team.
4. What were some of your favorite things / perks about being a co-op student at LMI?
The company events were pretty stellar- we had PNE day, Star Wars Day, and other fun events with board games and lots of food. During the summer, the company held an internal sports league, and I got to try my hand at tennis for the first time at the company’s tennis courts and had a blast. The hot chocolate was one of my favourite things at the company- it was so good. We also got a bunch of nice merch that I still use a year later.Â
5. What have you learned from your placement at LMI that you did not know before in relation to your studies / major?
My engineering program is on the more entrepreneurial side, and there you initially have a notion to create the most complex and cool product or solution, when in reality you find out stakeholders want simplicity, usability, and reliability instead. That’s something I didn’t fully understand before working in a professional setting. It was awesome working under my manager who was very skilled at this, and I’ve been inspired ever since to approach my work from a technical perspective but also grounded in user needs.Â
6. How did you feel your skills contributed to your specific department and the overall organization?
My work in sensor data mining and analysis helped support business decisions made by the product managers, while performing product validation identified critical issues for different departments to address. Meanwhile, developing an inventory management website helped streamline internal procedures for all the technical departments, saving time in company workflows. Overall, I think my work and skills positively contributed to a better workflow for my team and department.
7. Aside from the work, what things did you enjoy the most at LMI?
The people I met at LMI have made a lasting impression on me. This might have been my first internship, but I can tell that the support I received from this company would be something special no matter where my career takes me. My colleagues at LMI were a wonderful set of people that were not only highly skilled but incredibly enjoyable to be around and work with. I’m extremely grateful that this was my first internship and I highly recommend LMI to anyone looking for a rewarding workplace.
Excited to join future co-op opportunities?
Please connect with your school about co-op programs and keep an eye out for LMI postings on your school’s co-op job board. For any additional questions, please contact [email protected].