As a 2nd year engineering student from the University of Waterloo, there is a lot to be offered when working at a start up like Sera4 as a co-op. To start, specializing in hardware and firmware development allows me to be directly involved in all aspects of the product. With limited industry experience, working alongside tech gurus has been the hallmark of my experience. There is never a dull moment, as the small company size allows us to understand and appreciate everyone in the office. This means that I have exposure to all aspects of running a business. I am invited to participate in business decisions, product specifications, and various other decision-making tasks not normally exposed to co-ops.
On the technical side, my direct involvement in the next-generation MX controller from the start has been an eye opener to the complexity of control systems and it has taught me the essentials of designing circuit boards. Working with a Senior Systems Engineer, “Captain Hardware,” I have had exposure to industry standards, and best practices that a university degree simply can not provide. What makes this experience truly aspiring is that I am not treated as an co-op, rather an engineering employee. My opinion is not optional, but required, a quality that sets aside this co-op position apart from all others.
Worth around $113 billion as of 2015 [1], the security IoT market has become essential to the success of the IoT industry. With a projected $36.95 billion growth by 2021 [2], this industry offers an array of diverse and challenging career opportunities. Sera4 is striving to capture a portion of this market, and is quickly becoming a company on larger cooperation’s radars. Being an engineering co-op at Sera4, I have the opportunity to be part of a dynamic and highly motivated team that drives innovation in access control technology.
With continuous technological advances, consumers and enterprises have increase operation costs with more expensive assets bought each day. This means that there is a need for consumers and enterprises to feel insured and secure about their assets. Having access control to monitor what goes in and out does just that. Creating smarter, more efficient, and innovative solutions to solve the growing problems is exactly the industry to be in.
Written by: Raj Mody