Member-only story
A 2020 Review: The Co-op, Covid, and the Code
Transitioning into work in the strangest of times showed me the ups and downs of tech
As the end of 2020 approaches, it feels like an entire lifetime has passed by. So much has happened over the past months, that it’s hard to believe I had only started my current co-op position back in January. Since then, I also wrapped up my undergrad research and picked up my computer science degree in a pizza box (seriously). And like the rest of the world, I made the full transition to remote work. I’ll probably never forget the day we got the announcement at the office.
It was my first company wide release planning session. The cafeteria was converted into multiple stations for all the various teams I never knew existed. There were some tables filled with goodies like cookies, pastries, and coffee. I sat down with my team and dove into planning. Sticky notes were everywhere on the tables, the whiteboards, and the windows. I tried my best to keep up, but honestly I couldn’t really follow. Lunch rolled around, and new platters of sandwiches were swapped in. I started to notice something was off. There were whispers everywhere, a feeling of alert was in the air. Something was happening. My team lead went around, telling everyone on the team to meet in the lab once lunch was over. What was going on?
