Co-op Plays Key Role for Software Company AVTECH’s Top Product

Before or after every meeting with software engineers and managers at AVTECH, Jade Aboud Siriani would conduct further research to help himself catch up with the discussion.

“I have to understand all aspects of the communication, the coding and all the details,” he says. “I know the company’s number-one product relies on my work.”

Siriani is a junior in the Computer Engineering program. AVTECH produces environment monitors protecting areas like computer rooms, data centers and warehouses from the fluctuation of temperature and humidity.

As a co-op focused on software development, Siriani’s main job centered on AVTECH’S new monitor device. He also worked on software implementation, putting all the features and functions into the device through coding.

Siriani started the job knowing that the two major tools he would use for his work were Java Script and C programming language, but there was always something new for him to learn. Siriani relates that his manager would tell him, “You always think you know something until you actually do it and realize you know as little as possible.”

“There is always new technology and every task is different,” Sirani continues. “I haven’t done a single task that persisted with me for a whole week. I’m always moving on to the next thing.”

Siriani was often given freedom to explore things on his own, but AVTECH provided a positive learning environment with managers and engineers who always “have their doors open” for him. Their motto is “always ask if you don’t know something.”

Ahead of his co-op, Siriani says that he received a lot of aid from his Wentworth co-op advisor, Ria Kalinowski, who helped him search positions, improve his resume, and practice interviews. Siriani believes having a co-op is very important and been a rewarding experience.

“Anyone who comes out of school has a good knowledge base, but not always good real-world experience in how to implement the knowledge,” he says. “Having a co-op is a step for me to get the real-world experience.”

--Yunjia Hou