Yuma Takechi’s Career Remix: Unlocking New Paths with Co-op
Yuma Takechi has tried her hand at a number of different things over the years, from the music industry to education to tech. While what she’s interested in may have changed, the Double Husky has always trusted Northeastern’s co-op program to open the doors into a new industry. And in her most recent co-op at Teck Resources, the Analytics master’s student has found the adaptability and varied opportunities she was looking for from her career change.
Takechi first took interest in data while pursuing her BS in Music Industry at Northeastern’s Boston campus. She was using streaming and billboard data to examine gender representation in the music industry, although she stops short of describing the project as true data analytics.
“It’s more looking at the data and then talking about it, but that very broad framework was really fun,” Takechi said. “It gave me the idea that I might be interested in [data analytics].”
Her interest in data analytics never faded, though, and she wanted a degree with a wider range of potential applications. When she decided to get a master’s degree in analytics, she had no problem choosing a school.
After graduating, Takechi spent a couple of years in front-end developer and UX/UI designer positions in the US and Japan, and even started her own youth summer program. Her interest in data analytics never faded, though, and she wanted a degree with a wider range of potential applications. When she decided to get a master’s degree in analytics, she had no problem choosing a school.
”I knew that Northeastern’s co-op program was going to be really good. I’d already done two co-ops back in my bachelor’s; I had no questions about whether the program would be effective…The co-op program was a good enough reason for me,” Takechi said on her reason for returning to her alma mater for her master’s
Because she’d done co-ops before, Takechi understood how challenging it can be to find a position that’s a good fit, so she was gratified to discover the range of supports that Northeastern in Vancouver’s career team makes available. She enrolled in an online Entrepreneurship 101 program, went to the College of Professional Studies’ weekly co-op boot camp, and first became acquainted with her future employer – Canadian mining company Teck Resources – at a Northeastern co-op and job fair.
“The Vancouver campus offers a lot of panel speakers, guest speakers, and programs, and I was very active with those opportunities. That was one of the things I think the Vancouver campus career advising team did really well,” Takechi said. ”A lot of people come in wanting to get a job, so they finish their program as quickly as possible, and then go into the job market. But I think the co-op program is so unique. It’s a great way – probably the best way – to get your foot in the door.”
Takechi joined Teck Resources in the fall of 2024, as a co-op on the Global Talent Technology and Attraction (GTTA) team, alongside fellow Northeastern in Vancouver student and Career Peer Advisor Hao Wu. GTTA was responsible for the technologies like the pre-recorded interview platform, personality assessment tools, and applicant tracking system that Teck Resources used when recruiting or hiring new employees. Takechi’s role involved everything from training to troubleshooting to scripting new workflows, which provided exactly the kind of adaptability she had been looking for in her new degree.
Teck Resources was her first time in a large corporate environment, and one of Takechi’s biggest challenges was learning how to juggle many stakeholders’ competing needs. It took time, and the support of her team, to learn to justify her choices about how to prioritize her varied responsibilities. Luckily, Takechi had both those things; after her co-op finished, she received an offer from Teck Resources to stay on part-time as a project assistant, which she happily accepted.
Being on the GTTA team has given Takechi time to dig into another long-time interest, too.
”I’ve always been interested in digital transformation. I’m from Japan, and paper still dominates the world there,” she said, pointing out how many of the tools she works with at Teck Resources used to be analogue processes. “When I think about going home eventually, I think about being in that space – either starting my own company, or working for a startup that does digital transformation work.”
For the time being, though, Takechi is happy where she is. She feels lucky to have found a company with a culture that’s such a good fit for her, and is hoping to receive a full-time offer after graduation. She’s pleased – although not at all surprised – that Northeastern’s co-op program has once again created opportunities for her to move into industry, and to learn more about what she wants out of her career. She encouraged other students to take their co-op search seriously, and to take advantage of the resources Northeastern in Vancouver makes available.
“The co-op search needs to be undertaken very proactively. Use the resources available on campus, especially the people,” Takechi said. “The co-op advisors are very helpful, not just in preparing you for the recruitment process, but for moral support as well.
By Madelaine Millar