Northeastern student Sam Landsberg said his co-op with the global investment banking, securities and investment management firm Goldman Sachs International in London, “was one of the most rewarding chapters of my life.”

When he returned to campus in August, he expressed a newfound desire to work abroad in Europe or Asia before pursuing an MBA.

It’s a career path that might not have been, if not for the university’s robust international co-op program, which provides opportunities in 49 countries and seven continents.

Landsberg called it “a unique chance to live abroad, while working in a diverse and stimulating professional environment.”

From January to July, he did just that, taking on dual roles in trading and client service for Goldman Sachs Agency Lending, the firm’s agency securities lending business.

His biggest responsibilities required him to work with large financial institutions to book pre-negotiated trades and coordinate stock loan recalls with the group’s counterparts elsewhere in the firm.

“I had always dreamed of working on a large trading floor,” said Landsberg, a junior finance and insurance major who heads Northeastern’s Finance and Investment Club, adding, “I worked side by side with seasoned professionals who challenged me to take on additional projects.”

“There were checks and balances to verify the work I completed, but the magnitude of responsibility was intense and exciting.”

Landsberg also created presentations for clients and potential prospects in the European and Asian markets, in addition to tracking sales pitches, conducting research on pension funds and networking on the trading floor with colleagues from around the world.

But exposure to new cultures and customs didn’t begin or end at the workplace.

Landsberg lived in a six-bedroom flat with roommates from Australia, New Zealand, England, France and Madagascar, calling it an opportunity to “develop life-long friendships and expand my global perspective.”

“I truly enjoyed being immersed in a new culture,” he added. “It was my first time living abroad, but will certainly not be my last.”