Staff Spotlight: Ashton Nicholas

Like many university students, I am not 100% sure on the career path I want to take, but doing People Function Co-op at ComputerTalk has opened the door to a vast variety of possibilities that I did not even know were possible.

When applying for a co-op position, I was unsure what exactly I wanted in a job. Of course, there were a few factors I considered, but I just decided to open up my options and see where that took me. The thing that attracted me the most to the posting was the promise of a wide variety of tasks with no two weeks being the same. That is exactly what I got in this role and I love it! One week I’d go to a career fair for recruitment, another week I would make a newsletter, and a lot more in between.

Working with the People Function team is a joy. Laura Simmonds and Blair Ferguson are professionals who connect well as coworkers and as people. They are very thoughtful and accommodating in the work we do together and I have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with them on various projects.

A lot of people ask me what People Function does and I always have a tough time giving a straight answer. Yes, we are Human Resources like in most companies but we try to have a much bigger impact on all matters involving the people of this company. There are so many different things we juggle to make sure the employee experience here is as rewarding as possible.

ComputerTalk is unique because despite being a successful company that has been around for 30+ years, the group of employees is tight knit and relatively small, with only around 100 people. I feel like this is a good opportunity for co-op as I get to experience a professional office environment, but also get to have that interpersonal connection that could be lost in a bigger company.

The structure of management in this company is also impressive. Despite outranking me in experience and credentials, everyone treats me as an equal and is very considerate of the work I do. I don’t know too many companies where a co-op student sits in some of the same meetings as executives! I truly appreciate everyone’s friendliness and how they welcomed me to the company.

Before applying to this job, I had no idea I would have any interest in software or recruitment. My political science major is far from what I do here at work, but I have learned some things you enjoy the most are the least expected. I still have a long way to go as a professional and even as a student, but this employment term has been a delightful experience with connections that I hope to maintain for the future!