Coming from a school where coops are a requirement, everyone seems to look at their work experience simply as a job to get them a step closer to graduating. For me though, working at Hasbro is a dream job that I hoped I would get the chance to work at eventually, not expecting it to be my first coop. Since this is my first job involving my major, I am basing my first impressions of a career in this field around my experience at Hasbro.

I am so glad that my first coop is at Hasbro since now I have a better understanding of the company itself along with a great basis to work off of as I progress through college and so on. Working at Hasbro has opened my mind to so many other possibilities and taught me to think critically and creatively about my surroundings. Seeing how the company manages to make their work environment fun yet productive amazes me because I always assumed that working a full-time job meant sitting at a desk and working on a monotonous task that I would quickly tire of. With so many different brands and projects, being bored at Hasbro is not an option. Through the couple of weeks that I have been here, I have focused on thinking creatively more than ever before. Here, you are challenged to think outside of the box and bring new ideas to the table which no one else has.

Seeing the process of getting a product out is amazing since there is so much more to take into account than I would have ever expected. Being in a company and learning about the necessary steps to put a product on the shelves is something that I wouldn’t have had a chance to learn in a classroom. Knowing this, I can think about the consumer and tailor future projects to fit the audience’s interests. Experiencing the toy industry from behind the scenes has showed me that the company is just as fun as my younger self had hoped.

Nicole- Product Design Co-op

University of Cincinnati