Alison began a specialized double major in Biomedical Engineering and Computing Technology Co-op program at the University of Ottawa in 2018. A few years into her studies and several government co-op placements later, Alison sought a fresh start. “I came across the work General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada was doing at a career fair,” she says, “and I thought ‘this is super fascinating,’ and that is when I decided to apply.”

Joining General Dynamics on the System of Systems Integration – Mobile Division (SOS SI) team in May 2023, Alison contributes her expertise, while collaborating on solutions including battle management software systems, and conducting test cases.

As she approaches her final year of university, Alison says she is filled with confidence, partly due to her placement. The opportunity has given her a new perspective on engineering and the need for more women to enter the field:

“General Dynamics is the first company that has women across all levels of seniority,” she says. “Something I haven’t seen in my other co-op positions. It’s extremely reassuring.”

Aside from working on software programs, or navigating test cases, Alison enjoys spending her free time cooking and trying out new recipes, “I am actually really into making salads right now,” she says. “My next goal is to master popsicles!”

Justin, Advanced Vetronics Systems Co-op Student

At the age of 14, Justin realized that his interest in computers surpassed being just a hobby. Motivated to discover the ever-evolving world of science and technology, he took on the challenge of building a custom gaming computer. Successfully doing so after months of research and development, Justin realized his interests aligned with a potential career in computer engineering. “From this experience, I learned more about computer components and spent quite a bit of time – and money – discovering my true passion relatively quick at a young age,” he says. In his final year, Justin was able to turn his dreams into a reality, and applied to the University of Alberta’s Computer Engineering and Nanoscale System Design Co-op program, with a minor in Mathematics.

In his first university co-op placement, he learned the foundations of software in the insurance sector. “It was a great introduction to the basic skills required for engineering,” he says. Subsequently, his second placement led him to Germany, where he embarked on an exciting endeavour focusing on research in binary arithmetic at the Technical University of Dresden. This experience proved to be a significant stepping stone in his career, preparing him for his next role in the defence and security sector. 

In late 2022, he applied to the General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada’s co-op scheme and joined the Advanced Vetronics Systems team on an eight-month placement in January 2023.

He has the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, and the chance to apply skills he could only have dreamed of using in secondary school – ranging from software to hardware components, to system development and dev ops. He says that each day brings new challenges, explaining that: “from a student’s perspective, the technical details can get tricky. But, I know that with time and support, my confidence will build.”

And the best part of his role? He finds the diversity of programming languages and the opportunity to really delve into topics the most exciting aspect. “It’s amazing to see the demos of the things I worked so hard on, turn into something tangible,” he says.

As Justin enters his final year of university, we asked him how this placement would work towards his career objectives:

“I have really enjoyed this experience, the team is great, and the development work is amazing,” he says “I feel that it has really affirmed my aspirations as a computer engineer.”