April 7th, 2015, by Traci Turner

Media Arts and Technology class of 2013 graduate, Caitlyn Pardue, gained experience in printing and administration during her co-op at Quad/Graphics.

Pardue first learned about the co-op through an internship position posted on RIT’s JobZone. Quad/Graphics was looking for a corporate trainee intern and the position sounded intriguing to her. After doing some research on the company, she reached out to a recruiter.

Pardue got an interview and learned the internship would involve working in print production and administrative areas. In the end, she was hired and completed the three-month internship in the summer of 2013.

During the first six weeks of Pardue’s co-op, her and five other interns worked with the presses on the production floor in various plants.

“We worked on offset and gravure presses, in the finishing department on saddle-stitchers and perfect binders, and in the imaging department learning the pre-press processes that Quad manages,” said Pardue.

Knowledge she gained in the Print Production Workflow class prepared Pardue for working on the presses. Working on the production of magazine, catalogs and direct mail pieces helped her realize how she can apply the skills she learned in the Media Arts and Technology program.

For the last six weeks, Pardue worked on layouts in the product-engineering department for Quad’s direct marketing plants. She was responsible for designing and implementing press layouts using InDesign and Microsoft Visio. All the layout tools she learned about in the program allowed her to complete these tasks without a significant amount of extra training.

Pardue’s advice for students currently searching for a co-op is to take advantage of RIT’s career resources, apply to several companies and contact recruiters. She urges students to explore all their options and be confident.

“Don’t limit yourself to the dream co-op or internship right off the bat,” said Pardue, “Do your research and look into companies that maybe you’ve never heard of, or maybe they are located across the country in a city you’ve never been to before. You will gain experience at any co-op you do, and this can be a great stepping stone in getting yourself to that dream job.”