Clearpath offers co-op students an opportunity to work with industry experts, learn new skills, and gain real world experiences. We hire co-op students in a variety of disciplines including software, mechanical and electrical design, supply chain and marketing. We hire co-op students in both of our divisions – Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors.
OTTO™ Motors is making material handling in industrial settings safer, easier, and more efficient through development of hardware and software that automates movement of goods in busy factories and warehouses.
Clearpath Robotics’ research solutions group is a global leader in unmanned vehicle robotics for research and development, and provides hardware, software, and services to enable self-driving vehicle development, deployment, and operation.
Three of our co-ops from last term share their experiences, the projects they worked on, their proudest achievement, and advice they have for future co-op students.
OTTO Motors
Meet Chris – Electrical Designer Co-op
I am currently studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Hoping to graduate April 2020, so I’m counting down the days now. I grew up near Niagara Falls and I have three younger brothers. I love space exploration, music, mountain biking and computers.
Why did you choose a co-op term at Clearpath?
To be completely transparent… I had not heard of Clearpath Robotics (and definitely not OTTO Motors!) before applying for the job this summer. Once I started doing some research and talking to people I recognized this as an opportunity to work at a fascinating intersection of automotive, industrial, and technology. Emphasis on the tech.
What was the coolest thing you worked on this term?
There were plenty of cool things, but undoubtedly the coldest thing I worked on would be the low temperature testing of the OTTO 1500. We took bets to see if the robot would die in the -20C freezer. I lost the bet when it did not die. My turn to buy coffee. 🙂
What is your proudest achievement over the last 4 months?
I am a people pleaser. If someone has a task for me, I’ll put in a lot of effort into doing excellent work. It feels really good when someone praises my effort. I diagnosed and fixed a piece of testing equipment that was blocking production and I was delighted when everyone appreciated that.
What do you love about working at Clearpath?
A great and powerful company is made of great and powerful people. This is my opportunity to give a shout out to the Electrical Engineering and Hardware Testing team at OTTO Motors. The experience that these people gave me over the past four months will undoubtedly make me a better engineer someday. I am very conscious of that.
What advice do you have for future Clearpath co-ops?
I have a general distaste for platitudes. They often do not deliver the intention that I want. However, here is an important one that I often reflected on while working at CPR: Trust, but verify. There is a multitude of intelligent people working here whom you should trust, but people still make mistakes. Nothing beats having your own understanding. Challenge people to explain their reasoning.
Meet Jessica – Marketing Assistant Co-op
I was born in Hamilton, Ontario, but grew up just outside of Hamilton in a small town (I think we have less than 800 people) called Freelton, Ontario. Growing up, I always loved writing stories, and I wrote my first novel at age 15. I continue to consider writing my favourite past time — writing three more novels over the past five years — and I would love to one day make a career out of it. I am obsessed with the music of Elvis Presley, but I also love Bruce Springsteen, Queen and many other artists from before my time.
Why did you choose a co-op term at Clearpath?
I’d never seen a company with values that resonated with me as much as Clearpath’s values did — values such as move fast, create wow, start with why, and be humble. I knew these values would mean everyone at the organization would have a “go-go-go” mindset, and no one would hesitate to provide opportunities for me to learn and grow my skills, while helping the company thrive. Clearpath seemed like a larger organization with a start-up mindset — fast, smart, and ready to change the game. This was exactly what I wanted in a job — work that didn’t feel like work.
What was the coolest thing you worked on this term?
The coolest project I worked on was a holiday video that would be posted on social media and emailed to customers. This campaign started because the marketing team wanted to give customers a chance to see the hard working employees that help create their products, but that they never get to meet. We turned our offices into our version of The North Pole and had Matt Rendall, CEO, take viewers on a tour of our facility. This tour included interviews with “elves” from three different teams. I also got to help craft the emails being sent to customers containing a year-end overview and this holiday video.
What is your proudest achievement over the last 4 months?
I am most proud of my work on the email campaigns over the last four months. From setting up a drip campaign for a new case study, to sending a monthly newsletter to blog subscribers, I have helped run programs that can last even past my employment at Clearpath. The success of these programs will continue to propel the business forward, all the while helping me learn something new that I can continue to use in my professional development.
What do you love about working at Clearpath?
I love the people. I feel as though I’ve made lifelong friends here without even trying, because everyone is open and interested in getting to know each other. No one has ever made me feel like a co-op; I’ve always felt like a full-time team member with my own large and important tasks. The organization’s mindset on co-op students can be summarized by the words of my manager: “I can learn from you just as much as you can learn from me.” Even in those slightly more stressful “go-go-go” moments, the community at Clearpath was always supportive, so I never felt overwhelmed.
What advice do you have for future Clearpath co-ops?
My advice for a future Clearpath co-op would be to dive right in. Four months at a company as fast-paced as Clearpath will go very quickly. Don’t waste any time. Get your hands dirty. The more you learn, the faster you’ll be able to improve the company and yourself as a professional. There is so much to learn each and every day, from each and every employee — don’t miss opportunities to tackle new problems and bring your own fresh perspective.
Clearpath Robotics
Meet Mariko – Project and Business Development Co-op
My name is Mariko, I’m going into my last school term in Mechanical Engineering at UW. I love meeting new people, trying new instant ramen, and going to new places. I hate thermodynamics, inequality, and when I run out of instant ramen.
Why did you choose a co-op term at Clearpath?
I chose to come to Clearpath, because I wanted an opportunity to do something very interdisciplinary. Robotics itself combines a lot of different fields, and you get to learn about how all of them connect into one product. The role I was offered was also not a traditional role; I got to try project management, product management, and some business development.
What was the coolest thing you worked on this term?
There is a lot of cool stuff here. The coolest thing I worked on, unfortunately I can’t talk about. But to be honest I think the fact that I can’t talk about it makes it even cooler. So take my word for it, it’s real neat.
What is your proudest achievement over the last 4 months?
Honestly, just being helpful. Everyone here is super motivated, hard working, and intelligent. I’m super proud that I got to work with them, learn from them, and help them in their roles.
What do you love about working at Clearpath?
The work itself is really cool. Especially knowing that the products we are making are helping advance robotics and allowing researchers to do cool, wacky things. There’s a lot of boring, useless products out there, and it’s really cool to be a part of something that’s having an actual impact on the world. Also the people are crazy smart and it’s inspiring to watch them do their thing and care about their work.
What advice do you have for future Clearpath co-ops?
Don’t make a lunch out of the free snacks in the office, because people will make fun of you. One of the coffee machines is better than the other. Also if you leave your lunch in the fridge for 2+ weeks, someone is going to throw it out and you may lose your container.
Interested?
If you’re interested in working alongside robot enthusiasts AND actual robots check out our career pages for Clearpath Robotics and OTTO Motors.