Parsa Divanbeigi (Fall 2024)

Co-op Experience

What was the interview process like?

The interview process was very smooth, and I owe thanks to my colleagues for connecting me with the manager. I was fortunate enough to secure an interview on the very same day! Dave was relaxed and welcoming during our conversation, which made for a great experience. We had an engaging discussion about my knowledge of Hunter and the products related to the role. To conclude our meeting, I shared some of my projects, and it was wonderful to see how much he appreciated them!

Most students just want experience, but they may not know what type of experience they want. Please describe some of the work you did and what type of skills you needed. It is important to note the skills you could apply from what you’ve learned in school and what you learned on the job.

Having experience with tools like Visual Studio Code and familiarity with languages such as Python and JavaScript helped me easily debug issues. Additionally, even if I was not familiar with certain frameworks, my background enabled me to learn them quickly.

What experience do you think will be the most useful for you in the future?

Learning how to properly document code, develop full stack applications, and communicate with other departments to find solutions will be invaluable.

How do you think the overall experience will help you in your career?

This experience has provided me with insight into the business value of each project and has enhanced my ability to debug large projects effectively.

What aspect of the work did you enjoy the most?

I thoroughly enjoyed working on various aspects of development for a single project, including full stack development, optimization, machine learning, and hardware, all during my co-op term.

What aspect of the work did you not enjoy?

I wished I could have done more with machine learning. However, I still had a great time during my co-op and learned a lot about the topic.

Did you learn anything?

I gained significant knowledge about machine learning and improved my debugging skills, especially when dealing with code written by others.

Students often want to know if they will work alone or in a group. Was the work you did more individual or group work and how does it compare with what you have done in school or at another job?

Throughout the projects I worked on, I had to perform both independent work and collaborate with my teammates. At times, we would brainstorm together to determine the best approach to a problem.

What were your living arrangements during co-op? This question is especially important for those that are not from St. Louis.

I lived with my family, and my commute was very short.

How was the supervision?

Supervision was minimal, and I always aimed to deliver good results to my manager.

Anything else you'd like to tell us about yourself, Hunter Engineering, the co-op program or the work?

The company was excellent as a whole, and being a part of the R&D team provided me with valuable experience.