When a company hires you as a co-op, you and your employers goals are generally not the same.
You wish to learn as much as you can in a particular field in order to get a leg up on the competition (your peers) and eventually get hired by the corporation of your choice or start your own business. You know that interesting cutting-edge projects and challenging tasks will help further your goal.
The company, on the other hand, wishes to increase its profits. The company wants its experienced engineers to focus on the most challenging tasks to solve problems in the shortest amount of time, and therefore ship product faster. Hiring co-ops allows the easier non-critical tasks to be completed 'in the background' without having to 'waste' an experienced and knowledgable engineer's time. It also keeps the engineer happy, because said engineer is often less likely to leave the company if the work is rewarding.
Co-ops often must strive to find a balance between these two (often disparate) goals.
Another point to consider is the length of your co-op term. Tasks handed to you are hugely dependant on whether you are at the company for 2 weeks, 4 months, or 8 months. The longer you stay, the more valuable you are to the company. The more valuable you are, the more likely the chance the company will give you more enjoyable and challenging tasks.
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You wish to learn as much as you can in a particular field in order to get a leg up on the competition (your peers) and eventually get hired by the corporation of your choice or start your own business. You know that interesting cutting-edge projects and challenging tasks will help further your goal.
The company, on the other hand, wishes to increase its profits. The company wants its experienced engineers to focus on the most challenging tasks to solve problems in the shortest amount of time, and therefore ship product faster. Hiring co-ops allows the easier non-critical tasks to be completed 'in the background' without having to 'waste' an experienced and knowledgable engineer's time. It also keeps the engineer happy, because said engineer is often less likely to leave the company if the work is rewarding.
Co-ops often must strive to find a balance between these two (often disparate) goals.
Another point to consider is the length of your co-op term. Tasks handed to you are hugely dependant on whether you are at the company for 2 weeks, 4 months, or 8 months. The longer you stay, the more valuable you are to the company. The more valuable you are, the more likely the chance the company will give you more enjoyable and challenging tasks.