Written by: Mara Williams

Jason Wong (BComm’12) is the founder and owner of Elutris, a freelance marketing consultancy that builds strategic plans and processes to help clients reach their full potential. His entrepreneurial success can be traced back to the co-op work terms he completed during his time at Dalhousie University. “The things that I remember most about my work terms is just the sheer amount of experience and learning that I got from them.” These lessons learned remain invaluable to him today as a business owner.

Learning on the Job

Completing three co-ops allowed Jason to develop key skills that he would not have been able to perfect solely in a classroom setting. He completed two of his work terms at Make-A-Wish Foundation with a small team of employees, requiring him to wear many hats while on the job. This experience taught Jason how to prioritize different tasks and ensure that the most critical jobs were completed in a timely manner. In addition, the non-profit environment taught him valuable lessons about negotiating with others and motivating donors or other vendors to get involved. When interacting with external business partners, he learned “I need to be able to listen to who they are, what they need, and be able to tailor my pitch to them.” This skill remains applicable today in the operation of his own business.

Co-op Student to Entrepreneur

After his work terms at Make-A-Wish Foundation, Jason completed his third co-op at Scotiabank, providing a diverse array of experiences that remain beneficial in his work as an entrepreneur. In contrast to the grassroots operations of Make-A-Wish, Scotiabank, as a much larger, more formalized company, gave him experience with following processes and protocols that became helpful when setting up his own business’s structure. Getting to experience two vastly different organizations helped him learn the “startup mentality of what it takes to actually run to start a business and the things that need to be done in order to succeed long-term.” He learned how to adapt to the different skills needed on the job and utilise corporate structure and processes to demonstrate his credibility to clients today.

Why Entrepreneurship

After graduation, Jason worked for a few different marketing agencies before deciding to open his own business. Embarking on an entrepreneurial journey is always a risk, but his work term and career experiences helped him feel as prepared as possible before taking the leap. During his degree, Jason learned a lot about collaboration with different groups of people, and how to be the most effective teammate. A huge draw to entrepreneurship for Jason was the diversity of the work available to him. “As an entrepreneur, I don’t do one thing; I do everything. I wear many hats.” He can explore different aspects of the business, playing a key role in marketing, accounting, strategic planning, technology, and other key components of the business.

Job Searching Post-Graduation

In addition to the skills gained while on his work terms, participating in the co-op program allowed Jason to be much better prepared for the post-graduation job search. By searching for three different co-ops, he developed his networking and job search skills to the point where he was confident pursuing connections with industry professionals to secure a post-grad position. “I was comfortable with interviewing, comfortable with networking, comfortable with asking questions and getting to know people.” Networking with working professionals also allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the types of roles available, developing a better knowledge of various jobs than he would have gained solely in the classroom. Completing the Commerce Co-op program allowed him to practice these networking skills and feel equipped to handle a competitive job search after graduation.

In fall 2024, Management Career Services reached an incredible milestone of 20,000 business work terms for students in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op, Bachelor of Management, and Corporate Residency MBA programs. These programs have produced a diverse group of alumni who have made significant contributions across industries. To learn more about their stories and the impact of these work-integrated learning programs, visit our website.