Tracing a Successful and Varied Career Back to Co-op
Even though his responsibilities have shifted, Alan Weinstein, E’84, chemical engineering, credits his co-op experiences with guiding him to a career in manufacturing and still relies on the industry knowledge and communication skills learned on co-op today.
Growing up, Alan Weinstein, E’84, chemical engineering, was surrounded by chemistry well before taking chemistry classes. Having worked in his father’s bakery as a kid, Weinstein learned about the various chemical reactions involved in making baked goods. He later found enjoyment in high school chemistry, which made him consider a degree in the field. It was not until a formative conversation with his chemistry teacher that Weinstein considered a degree in chemical engineering.
Weinstein was introduced to Northeastern through a friend’s dad, who also went to Northeastern to study chemical engineering. Through this interaction, Weinstein learned about the co-op program, which enticed him to apply.
“He told me about the co-op program and how it worked,” says Weinstein. “It sounded like a cool program, so I put Northeastern on my list of schools. It was one of the first places that I got accepted to.”
A first-generation college student from Pittsburgh, Weinstein’s time at Northeastern marked the beginning of a significant expansion of his worldview. He pursued various interests in student organizations such as the Chemical Engineering Society, but he also enjoyed connecting with people in different fields or attending activities at different universities around Boston. Weinstein says these opportunities were not available to him growing up but were important in diversifying his background.
“I stress this when I tell people about going to school in Boston,” says Weinstein, “the diversity in not just the people you meet, but what you can do, what you can engage with, and the programs you can work with. To me, that’s the real benefit.”
Weinstein’s first co-op was at the Army Research Center in Watertown, Massachusetts, where he worked in a lab researching polymers for potential use in army gear. Although the work experience taught him various testing protocols and quality standards relevant to later roles, Weinstein quickly realized he was unsatisfied working in a research environment and wanted to pursue a different career path. He credits this experience with helping him make that discovery at a young age.
“Co-op really helps you navigate what you want to do and where your interests lie over your four or five years in the program to find something that fits and works for you,” Weinstein says.
A change in direction is exactly what Weinstein found in his second co-op at Eastman Gelatin Corporation. Based in Eastman’s pilot plant, Weinstein worked on a team that produced photographic gelatin. Along with hands-on experience in manufacturing, Weinstein saw how his work in the pilot plant affected other departments and was often called to support projects in different facilities, giving him an in-depth understanding of the manufacturing process and plant functions. His positive experiences at Eastman encouraged him to pursue future roles in manufacturing. “I really think that was the job that cemented what I wanted to do,” he says.
Weinstein’s time at Eastman also allowed him to work alongside people with varied backgrounds across different shifts. This exposed him to how workplace cultures shift depending on the workers present and taught him how to work and communicate effectively with different people, skills integral to his postgrad roles.
“I realized that people have very different lives in terms of where they are and what they do,” says Weinstein. “Co-op opens your eyes to people that you would have never thought about or engaged with, and it gives you an appreciation for what goes on to make things happen.”
For his third and final co-op, Weinstein took a position at Olin Chemical, where he worked in a small plant to make pharmaceutical intermediates. Weinstein initiated the co-op himself after learning through a friend of an opening at Olin. Although the role mirrored his position at the Army Research Center, a testing-heavy research role, it cemented Weinstein’s interest in pursuing a career in the manufacturing field.
“It was a learning experience for me,” says Weinstein. “As I looked for more jobs, I wanted to work for companies where I understood what we were making and how I could connect it to the real world.”
After graduating from Northeastern, Weinstein worked at various companies in the manufacturing field, building on the testing protocols and manufacturing processes he learned in his co-ops. As his career progressed, he began taking on more customer-based responsibilities, interacting closely with customers to address service needs and quality issues. His enjoyment of these responsibilities led Weinstein to pursue these interests further, and he eventually graduated with an MBA from the University of Hartford in 1991.
Even though Weinstein’s pursuit of higher education marked a turning point in his career, he says relationship-building has been integral to his career before and after taking on marketing positions. This includes co-ops like Eastman, where Weinstein interacted and connected with a variety of workers across shifts.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always tried to make sure I connect with everybody,” says Weinstein. “You’d be surprised what you learn when you talk to the folks in the plant verses the people in the office.”
Weinstein held positions at various manufacturers after completing his master’s program, including taking on positions in England and the Netherlands, before ending up at BASF, where he is today the director of customer experience. He says his engineering experience from co-op and postgrad roles has benefitted him immensely in his marketing positions, allowing him to effectively communicate product knowledge to customers. “The foundation of what I learned in co-op has always been there 40 years into my career,” says Weinstein.
For Weinstein, co-op allowed him to grow and mature as an individual while meaningfully implementing course concepts and forming valuable connections with employers and coworkers. Now on the cusp of retirement, Weinstein looks back fondly on his co-op experience as the catapult into his career.
“It was a great experience that will live on with me for the rest of my life,” says Weinstein. “I will always share with people what co-op can do to help shape you.”