At 5:30 a.m., a time when most college students are shuffling underneath their covers, Rory Bertram rises before the sun and heads to his classroom – an office at The Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) headquarters in Atlanta.
Bertram is a part of the pilot cooperative education program at Georgia State, which provides a structured, paid workforce experience to computer science and computer science information systems (CIS) students.
“Every day I have to learn a new skill or tool to help me effectively do my job,” the senior CIS major said. “You’ve really got to use every single synapse in your brain and I love it.”
Bertram is one of the 12 students currently in the program.
“We are in the beginning stages of our co-op program,” said Makesha Hillery, co-coordinator for cooperative education and internships at Georgia State’s Career Services department.
Co-ops are different from internships; they are facilitated by the university, and students basically become employees.
“From what I’ve heard from other students’ experiences, a lot of interns are doing mindless data entry and filling the coffee maker – basically low-level work,” Betram explained.
“Whereas I’m getting the workload, benefits and healthcare of a full-time employee doing what people who have graduated with IT degrees are doing.”
Bertram’s infrastructure co-op position at INPO allows him to hone his problem solving and technical skills at what is essentially the service desk for nuclear plant operators and employees.
“I provide IT and technical support on both a software and hardware level for my entire 400-person building, and I also do lower-level support for every nuclear plant in North America, which is about a hundred plants.”
Bertram had to go through stringent GPA requirements, program qualifications and job preparation modules before his resume was even sent out to potential employers.
His resume caught the eye of Brenda Byrd, the section manager of Customer Enterprise Services.
“Rory is a very impressive young man,” Byrd said. “I was impressed by his resume and even more impressed when I meet him in person. He is professional, polite and he definitely has the go-getter attitude, so I just knew that I could trust him to do the work.”
Byrd has been a mentor for co-op students for six years. She and two other staff members are in charge of educating the students daily and evaluating their performance at the midpoint and end of the semester.
INPO’s four-semester co-op program has been offered to students for over 20 years. The program, which usually requires two semesters, was condensed to a semester for Bertram because of advance position in his academic program and the limited time that he has until graduation.
Before his co-op, Bertram’s other job was as a baggage handler for Delta airlines. The keys to his early success at his co-op are his curious nature and the analytic skills instilled in him as a Georgia State student.
“I just started like most IT people, working and figuring out my computer problems,” Bertram said. “Georgia State and the CIS track specifically have forced me to retrain my mind and how I go about solving problems.”
Bertram’s employers have taken notice of how quickly he has picked on their difficult program and are reassured that they made the right decision.
“I’m sure it’s been challenging for him and he’s learning a lot of things that he never really thought about before, but he’s been here a few weeks and understands a lot now,” Byrd said.
“Rory is our first GSU student and he has been very open to learning and a joy to work with. I’m really glad I stepped out and took the chance on him.”
Currently, the cooperative education program is limited to computer science and CIS majors, but according to Hillery, University Career Services staff are building relationships with more of the employers to expand the opportunity to more students.
“This experience has really changed my perception of the workforce in a positive way,” Bertram said.
“When you’re working for and with a group of people who you enjoy, the work becomes secondary. And even though my job is f—ing hard, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
