One of the key things I want to get out of a co-op placement is the opportunity to work in a technical environment that challenges me to improve myself every day. IBM was the placement I was searching for not only for technical skills but soft skills as well. By allowing for such a significant contribution from a co-op student, I’ve become a better coder and software team member as a result. There were always team members there to guide me, and I learned just as much from others this term as I did on my own. After seeing a project from start to finish, I am much more familiar now with software development practices, collaborative software development, and the software development cycle as a whole. The different challenges presented during my work term allowed me to meet many of the goals set for myself at the beginning of the semester. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work for IBM.