Before graduating from Waterloo, I had the opportunity to work in three different countries (Canada, USA, Japan), on everything from web services to embedded C. While I was a good student, and I doubt that I would have had any trouble finding a job with or without co-op, getting the breadth of experience was incredibly valuable - this would be something much harder to get after graduating.
I generally dislike competition of school brands (ie. Waterloo vs. Toronto), because I am fairly certain that education is 95% work ethic. The co-op program I firmly believe is exceptional, however.
Broadway Technology - New York, NY and Austin, TX.
We're a small, fast moving and profitable ~40 person software company revolutionizing fixed income and foreign exchange trading software by creating a very fast trading platform for algorithms and people (to be clear - we’re a software company, not a hedge fund/trading firm). We are hiring top tier consultants and software engineers. Some opportunity to work remote, and profit sharing for the win! Apply at http://www.broadwaytechnology.com/careers
I worked as a developer there, conditions weren't much better. Frugality means cheap, and the turnover rate was just insane. A lot of the ones who stay are only staying because the stock price is so high right now making their options worth a lot. Really depressing, because upper management at Amazon is very very competent - they have a long term vision, and they are executing on it with a ton of energy. They just seem to have forgotten about the peasants along the way.
Broadway Technology, New York, NY (right by The Bull! Also right by Fog Creek).
We're a small, profitable ~40 company revolutionizing fixed income and foreign exchange trading by creating a very fast trading platform (don't worry though - we don't trade ourselves, we're very much a software company). We're hoping to grow a lot! Positions are available for developers as well as consultants! Some opportunity to work remote, also, profit sharing for the win. See http://www.broadwaytechnology.com/careers, and mention Hacker News if you decide to apply!
Profitable 40 person software company creating a successful trading platform for fixed income securities and others (we are not a hedge fund, we don't trade ourselves). Located right by The Bull on Broadway in Manhattan. Will sponsor TN-1, and some opportunity to work remote.
I generally dislike competition of school brands (ie. Waterloo vs. Toronto), because I am fairly certain that education is 95% work ethic. The co-op program I firmly believe is exceptional, however.