A year ago, applying for co-ops away from the East Coast was at the bottom of my To-Do list. Nevertheless, I found myself boarding a plane to San Francisco after the holidays in January 2018 and wishing I could do it again every minute since. Between the company culture, the character of the city and the people I spent my time with, it was easy to make the most out of my time in California.

I had been applying to consulting co-ops at smaller firms in NYC when my co-op advisor suggested Riivos, a software company in San Francisco. After interviewing and accepting an offer here as a Professional Services Consultant on the Mortgage-lending team, I had little clue what I was walking into, especially considering my limited industry knowledge.

Within a couple months, I was meeting with CFO’s on my own and coaching them through the intricacies of our forecasting, budgeting and scenario analysis software. As the CEO is a Northeastern alum, co-ops in the company are valued and treated as any other team member in every regard. When I wasn’t working with clients or working on the models, I spent my time with the other co-ops and fantastic teams in the company.

I still talk to some of my old coworkers on an almost weekly basis and always find myself missing San Francisco and the people I grew so close with. This co-op was another important reminder that stepping out of your comfort zone will at worst, force you to grow and at best, reward you in countless ways for time to come.