Robotics and relocation: balancing work, school and side projects | Co-operative Education

Komal Vachhani (she/her) is a fourth-year Computer Engineering student. She speaks about her experience working in the robotics field and how to make the most of living in new places.

Komal’s co-op journey:

Work term one: Komal began her co-op journey at where she was a full stack developer intern co-op student. Here, she worked on the front and back end of the company's investment dashboard.

Work term two: Next Komal was a robotics software engineering co-op student at Kindred AI, now rebranded as , in downtown Toronto. Her role was mostly in person with an option to work remotely and included programming with C++ on the robot control platform.

Work term three: Komal then had a work term at in Vancouver, British Columbia as a software engineering co-op student. She mainly worked on creating the data pipeline infrastructure and platform engineering.

Work term four: Her fourth co-op role was with in Suffield, Alberta. She was a robotics student researcher and programmed GPS-denied systems for localization and navigation of aerial and ground vehicles.

Work term five: She is currently interning working at in San Francisco, California. She is a software engineering iIntern and is working with the system-level stack of the drone and its Hardware-in-the-Loop framework.

Q&A with Komal:

How did you tailor your résumé to make it applicable for your co-ops?

“I already had two internships before coming to university.”

“One was as a business development intern at a startup called Co.Lab, so my role wasn't related to engineering, but I worked with two awesome co-founders, Helen and Sefunmi. They are now Forbes 30 under 30 recipients, so it was a wonderful experience working with them. They graduated from the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ as well.”

“The second internship was more relevant - I was a full stack developer intern and we were working on an online learning platform. I applied for a small scholarship while I was in high school and one of the winning prizes was to be able to do an internship there.”

“So, I had that experience coming in and I also tailored my projects. Before my last co-op, I mostly did software-only projects, so I transitioned into projects that also incorporated hardware. Many of them incorporated the STM32 microcontroller we used in class.”

“I always scoured through different company websites and looked for the kind of skills they were looking for. I even looked at the skills they require for full-time staff, so I knew what to highlight.”

Do you have any advice for students?

“During the co-op hiring process, I used to self-eliminate myself from jobs. I wouldn’t have every single skill certain companies required, so I decided I wasn’t qualified and never applied.”

“After a few terms, I realized wasn’t actually losing anything by applying. You never know what a hiring manager is looking for and I’ve found that above all, they tend to want hard workers and people who are passionate about what they do. Hard work often beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

“So don't self-eliminate yourself from positions and just shoot your shot. Who knows what will happen.”

Have your co-op work terms pushed you towards a certain area of engineering or are you still undecided?

“I know I love the robotics field, but there's different avenues within robotics. There are robot arms, humanoids, autonomous systems, drones, ground vehicles (like cars, trucks, etc.) and even more categories beyond those.”

“Through my co-ops, I’ve been trying to explore as many avenues as possible. I did robotic arms at Kindred AI, humanoids at Sanctuary AI, ground vehicles and autonomous systems at DRDC, and now delivery drones at Zipline.”

“The innovation in the field is surreal, people are always working towards inventing new things. Especially in my past co-op where I was working in R&D.”

“I guess I’d say I’m still undecided on what I want to focus on, within robotics or maybe even a different industry, but I know I want to stay within the umbrella of software systems and that I want to continue to try new things.”

Komal in a crowd with a large hot air balloo behind her.

What do you like about the field of robotics?

“Robotics is incredibly creative. I’ve found that the field is very fast paced, people are so quick to create proof of concepts and pump out software as soon as the hardware is available.”

“Also, how cool is it that you get to see moving machines at work everyday?!”

“Especially in the startup space, which is where I've done most of my robotics work.”

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your work life balance?

“I would give it a nine right now, but it really depends on the co-op term. I found that when I was working at start-ups, I would end up working a bit extra, but it was never expected of me. It was more that they gave me the freedom to pick my own projects and dedicate as much time to them as I'd like.”

“I think I've done a good job in the past work terms to make friends with other students and hang out with them after work which definitely helped with my work-life balance and exploring different parts of new cities.”

“I create bucket lists for my co-op terms as soon as I know where I’m going to be, so wanting to cross everything off that helps me maintain a balance as well!”

What do you do to keep yourself motivated during your work terms?

Komal giving a thumbs up beside a statue of someone in camouflage gear.

“For me, work terms are sort of a break. As ��ݮ��Ƶ Engineering co-op students, we don't really get an official “break” in our five years of school. Co-op terms are when I have an opportunity to pick up on hobbies and travel, so those periods are ones I really look forward to."

“At DRDC I was confined to my 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, 4 days a week, and after that, I had 3-day long weekends, every weekend! Of course, everyone’s hours vary, but I found this schedule to be so great.”

“I try to have a “work to live” and not “live to work” mentality. Of course, at work I give my 100 per cent every day but afterwards I put work aside and I just focus on whatever I want to do. Whether it be projects, keeping in touch with my friends and family or maybe just getting food with other students.”

“Keeping in touch with my family and friends in ��ݮ��Ƶ has been especially important since I’ve been away from home for my last few co-ops.”

“The California beaches don’t hurt either, haha!”

Did you experience any homesickness when living far away during co-ops?

“I’ve moved a lot since I was a kid because of my parents’ work and I’d consider myself generally extroverted, so fortunately making friends comes much easier to me now than it did back then. Something I’ve found helpful is going out of my way to get involved in events wherever I’m living.”

You’re going to be living there for four months, so you might as well try and see what the community traditions are like. Every time I move somewhere I try to indulge in the culture surrounding me, try new foods, and talk to lots of people!

Komal Vachhani

“For example, there was a Hot Air Balloon Festival when I was living in in Medicine Hat and I’m so glad I went out by the coulees, because that was a sight like nothing I've ever seen before.”

“Try to go out of your way to find things you like in the area and speak to people, even if they aren’t your age. I also plan to ensure I’m doing something every weekend. Staying home alone on weekends can get a bit lonely as you can end up missing familiar stuff from home.”

Have you overcommitted yourself in the past?

Komal and two others in a car and saftey equipment.

“Oh yeah, it sort of comes from me seeing co-op terms as breaks. I always thought that I’m only confined to the work hours, and I have all this extra time.”

“During my first few work terms, I would participate in some clubs, do research assistantships and work on my non-profit I have been working on since high school. It ended up draining me and I would enter the study terms burnt out.”

“Then during my third co-op, I was in Vancouver, and I decided that it was my one opportunity to just put everything else aside and really take everything in. I put 100 per cent of my focus on my work term and putting my best foot forward there instead of spreading myself thin. I also took time to do fun stuff like go on hikes with my intern friends.”

“Not only did that have a positive impact on my work, but it also left me super energized when it came time for my next study term.”

What's next for you?

“I'm currently in the recruiting process for Fall 2025 and looking for my sixth, and final, co-op. I’d like to get my master's at some point. I just don't know when or what I’d like to specialize in just yet.”

“Working at Defence Research and Development Canada further inspired me to pursue a master's degree. All the Defence Scientists have their master's and are working on interesting projects.”

“I’ve found that I really enjoy R&D and that the master’s route would open up pathways to work that I find really interesting.”