Career Options Post Secondary Fall 2015

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP: GET A JOB & BE THE BOSS

12 DIGITAL RECRUITMENT:

INTERVIEW WITH ANDY HEADWORTH

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CAREEROPTIONSMAGAZINE.COM FALL 2015 / VOLUME 29 NO. 2

DEPARTURES IS ONLY THE

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Think of travel as a worldwide classroom

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Take control of your finances starting right now

5 EDITOR’S LETTER

INTERNATIONAL

14

Departures is Only the Starting Point

SOCIAL RECRUITING

7

By Pierre Hamel

18

Applicant Tracking System

Travel to Learn— About Yourself

By Joseph Mathieu

9

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Canadian Industry Invests in Skilled Trades

By Pierre Hamel

30

Think it’s Too Early to Invest? Think Again.

By Kyle Prevost

By Vanessa Mullin

Get a Job & Be the Boss

By Joseph Mathieu

12

Digital Recruitment

By Alex Scantlebury

FRUGAL SCHOLAR

22

The Price of Education

By Stuart Jeffery

26

Expectations vs. Reality: Are New Grads Prepared for the Real World?

By Jasmine Williams

CA REER O P T IO N S

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Travel Chernobyl?

Why Not! FA LL 2 0 1 5

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CAREER OPTIONS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE CAREER OPTIONS WEBSITE?

Paul D. Smith MANAGING EDITOR | GORDONGROUP

Pierre Hamel PROJECT MANAGEMENT | GORDONGROUP

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Emelie Gravel CONTRIBUTORS

Cathie Edmond Pierre Hamel Daniel McDonald Glen Peters Kyle Prevost Alex Scantlebury Jasmine

Stuart Jeffrey Joseph Mathieu Vanessa Mullin Tamara Peyton Chelsea Sauvé Paul Smith Williams

BLOGSPOT » Students, career educators and guest bloggers share their thoughts about post-secondary education, entering the workforce, finding the “right” job and getting a career on track. Submit your own blog ideas at careeroptionsmagazine.com/ community/blog

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31 The Halifax Career Fair 5, 32 The New England Center for Children

EDITOR’S LETTER

On-line recruiting—words are the key

B

efore I begin this editorial about on-line recruiting, let’s establish some parameters.

I won’t try to tell you, Gen Y, about social networking or life on-line—that’s your area of expertise. What I will tell you is that large organizations, run by Boomers and Gen Xer’s, are using social network platforms to transform the way they engage potential recruits— you. They are making new rules and those who know what they are will have an advantage.

Once upon a time campus recruiting involved a good deal of human-to-human interaction, from first meeting through to acceptance and on-boarding (accepting the job and starting work).

Recruitment in an on-line environment involves less direct human-to-human interaction, and it comes into play later in the process. Not that long ago, you might have learned that a company was hiring by speaking to a company rep at a career fair, an information session or an in-class presentation. It is now much more likely that you will learn of the opportunity through Twitter, LinkedIn or some other social network. When it was time to apply, you might have given the rep a hard copy application package (CV, cover letter, and transcript). Now, you’ll be directed to a company website where you’ll likely engage with an Applicant Tracking System—a platform that will collect your data in a format that will allow them to run a keyword search, looking for clues that will tell them if you are suitable for an interview.

You’re thinking, “OK. New process—I get it.” And you should. It’s not that complicated, but the devil is in the details. You’re going to need to figure out what organizations you’re interested in, and then follow/link to them. You will need to figure out the candidate characteristics that are most attractive to the employers that interest you, and you’ll need to put them into words. Because, in this new process, words are the key—that’s why they call them ‘keywords.’ The biggest change in this new process is knowing the right words to use when you submit an application because the selection of interview subjects is based on how well your words match the ones the employer is looking for. If you don’t know those words, they will never meet you. But if you do—you’re in. CO

PAUL D. SMITH is the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers and Editor-in-Chief of Career Options magazine. Email Paul at pauls@cacee.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: cacee.com, careeroptionsmagazine.com

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AT S

APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM

A M A

By Joseph Mathieu

T

he hardest part about the job search is getting your foot in the door. With fingers crossed, you send out resumes hoping you’ve tailored them properly: waiting to see if you made the cut. But recently, companies poised to catch graduates fresh out of postsecondary are sending out their own data in the opposite direction.

The foremost employers are upping their recruiting procedures with each passing year by integrating social media channels into the process of finding the right candidates for their vacancies. And they aren’t just trying to broadcast job postings through LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter: they also want to offer valuable information and insight on their industry to the students they hope to hire.

WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO WILL REACH OUT AND ASK QUESTIONS THAT GRAB OUR ATTENTION Combined, this new process of attracting, recruiting, and hiring new applicants is known as an automated tracking system (ATS). These can be as simple as a resumé screening portal all the way up to a recruiting and mentoring process.

Melissa Larson of RBC Recruitment has spent four years in campus recruitment. Her goal is to continue to build strong relationships between students and RBC, which she has been doing for the past year and a half.

RBC uses a complex ATS geared specifically to university grads.

“RBC attracts, recruits, develops and advances high performers, resilient collaborators, and progressive thinkers who want to join in our business promise of providing trustworthy advice to enable clients’ success,” says Larson.

“Through social media channels, we have students who will reach out and ask questions that grab our attention,” said Larson. “Social media help them obtain the information they need so they are more educated on the roles that are available.”

Many large companies have their own version of ATS. RBC describes theirs as an “experience enhancer” that figures in both online and campus recruiting. While the social media channels break the ice, what really grabs a prospective hire is the careers portal on the RBC website.

As with any ATS, all applicants still submit a cover letter and resume to the job in which they are interested. With RBC, the system keeps tabs on the applicants’ progress throughout the application process. Positions can become available once students meet with the recruiter or hiring manager.

The recruitment teams are then available to continue the conversation and help students learn about specific roles, events and opportunities that the company offers.

RBC LinkedIn chats are a perfect example of tailored events geared to help students making their first career step. These weekly summer conversations highlight different areas of RBC with employees in attendance for a type of AMA (ask me anything). Although they are set at a certain time of day, the chats can be referred to at a later date if a student can’t make the live conversation.

The next step for employers is to enhance the student experience with more personalized recruiting. RBC has the latest technologies in recruitment and a highly successful recruitment team. Many other organizations are using the same or similar approaches as well. Many who recruit at the campus level put those technologies to use to benefit students’ choices as much as possible. It’s a brave new world of ATS and there are benefits for everyone, student or not, to learn how to leverage these new technologies. CO

Based in North Grenville, JOSEPH MATHIEU is a bilingual freelance writer and editor.

He bolsters brands, explores music and narrates lifestyles worth celebrating. He tweets @JRMwords.

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&

By Joseph Mathieu

GET A JOB

BE THE BOSS

Y

ou’re not even out the doors of the school yet, and you’ve already found yourself in the sights of potential employers. You’ve met the newest in digital recruiting practices, but you can’t actually say it’s been “face-to-face.” Sometimes social networking has a detached characteristic that you may find difficult to help you really connect with employers.

Or maybe it seems like the career advice you’ve been offered so far hasn’t pointed you in the right direction. Or perhaps you haven’t found the company that inspires you to be the change you want to see in the world. Maybe what you seek doesn’t even exist yet. Maybe that’s because it’s up to you to make it happen.

The true definition of an entrepreneur is someone who begins or organizes a commercial enterprise especially one involving financial risk.

Although the idea may be daunting, there is something to be said for doing-it-yourself. Starting your own business means heading confidently into the unknown and hitting the ground running.

Kyle Sadaka, the Sales Manager of cloudbased CRM Solve, was building a consulting business when his current employer scooped him up. From his first day in Algonquin College’s marketing program, his teachers told him that he could expect to find a position that would pay $70 thousand to $100 thousand per year. Sadaka found this unrealistic once he began investigating jobs in the market and decided, even before graduating, that he wasn’t going to become just another leaf in the forest.

“After my first semester in marketing, I realized I did not want to be a marketer,” said Sadaka. “I wanted to sell. Selling is the brawn to marketing’s brain. I recognized the opportunity to offer my skills and talents to fill the needs of clients on my terms.”

His course of action meant becoming his own boss: the master of his own domain. He set his hours, answered only to his clients, and made decisions based on his own understanding of the industry. His relationship building and time management were the soft skills that he needed to carry him through his first year.

“STUBBORNNESS WILL KILL YOU AND YOUR IDEA IF YOU DON’T LISTEN WELL”

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“It’s a lot of who you know and how you work,” said Amy Valm, another successful example of becoming your own boss. “It’s also a lot of luck.

Some people catch a break, and unfortunately, some people don’t. I’d encourage everyone to try it, though.”

Valm attended Durham College for print journalism because of the school’s reputation as one of the best in the country. She knew she had the skills and work ethic to make it in the journalism world, but she couldn’t get past the hiring freezes at the time. An internship at Rogers Media helped her make the contacts she needed to pick up her first gigs as a freelancer.

“It was presumed that you’d graduate from the program and get a job in a newsroom, a magazine or in PR—but no one would hire me,” says Valm.

Her initial contracts lead to the bigger ones with more responsibility that allowed her to firmly plant her feet in the publishing industry. In just over a year, she reached the $30,000 level in revenue that required her to get a business number. One of the certainties in life is that you will need to learn about tax at one point. What better way than by throwing yourself into the thick of it?

“Always set aside 20 percent of your net pay and your HST collected in a separate account,” she said. “You’ll be so thankful you did come tax time.”

Now Valm is the assistant editor of Today’s Parent magazine on a freelance contract and has contributed to Chatelaine, Walmart Live Better magazine and The Food Network.

“Everything that I’ve learned about freelance has been from trial and error and guidance from my colleagues who have navigated the path before me,” says Valm.

To be a successful entrepreneur in any industry you have to learn to see opportunity where others haven’t. It’s by studying those who have made their own paths that you will find success.

Sadaka researched the trials and errors of previous start-ups who documented their progress as he met with veterans of his trade. He also learned that active listening was crucial to making contacts, and also closing deals.

“Often just saying out loud, ‘Okay, so what if we take this approach…?’ and then keeping an open mind for the answer works,” said Sadaka.

“Stubbornness will kill you and your idea if you don’t listen well.”

“The cost of a start-up was relatively less than I expected,” said Sadaka, “but I made my approach with a shoestring budget in mind. The majority of the cost was registering the business. Once I landed my first contract and money was in my hands, I divided it up at 80 percent for living costs and 20 percent for closing the next deal.”

There’s a basic principle of marketing that can apply to all businesses. Take the foundations of your industry, your own confidence, and your mentors and realize that you can create the business that you want. If you can’t find the perfect place to work, maybe you should be working for yourself. CO

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Based in North Grenville, JOSEPH MATHIEU is a bilingual freelance writer and editor. He bolsters brands, explores music and narrates lifestyles worth celebrating. He tweets @JRMwords.

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RECRUITMENT

rofessional recruitment has changed dramatically in the last decade. Previously, companies would physically send out representatives to “woo” prospective employees, similar to how universities and colleges send out scouts to bring in top athletes.

Now, during the social media revolution, professional recruitment has gone digital. Though this has made it easier for both employers and employees to find each other, both parties have had to become much more self-aware about what they say online and how they say it.

As a freelance writer and communications consultant, I leverage the opportunities that the social media world has made available to me on a daily basis. Seventy percent of my client base has come from the connections that I have made online. The ability to instantly share content, thoughts, and ideas with the world has had a major influence on how I have professionally branded myself. To maintain my success, I must maintain my brand, making sure that I scrutinize everything I post/say online regardless of how trivial the content may seem.

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I am, by no means, an expert in the professional recruitment techniques of those companies out there searching for the best and brightest employees.

I know what works for me and I stick to that, making changes as necessary.

I did, however, have the chance to speak with an expert in the field of digital recruitment.

Andy Headworth is the founder of Sirona Consulting: a specialist consultancy that helps companies leverage social media and technology to improve their recruitment strategy, recruitment processes and recruitment marketing. He is the author of the Amazon no.1 best seller Social Media Recruitment—How to Successfully Integrate Social Media into Recruitment Strategy, published by Kogan Page in May 2015. He is also the author of an award winning recruitment blog and was named to the “Top 100 Most Social HR Leaders on Twitter” by the Huffington Post, and the “50 Most Popular Recruiting Influencers on Twitter” by ERE. It is safe to say that he knows what he is talking about.

CA RE EROP TI O N SMAGA ZIN E.COM

Career Options (CO): As social media and digital recruitment continue to evolve, do you believe that we will begin to see a scenario where our reputations and personal brands portrayed online will eventually outweigh our skill sets and experience?

Andy Headworth (AH): This is an interesting question because this is already happening. With many companies choosing to first check potential candidates out online, the first thing they see is this “personal brand” displayed across social media platforms. With social media networks being highly ranked within search engines like Google, it will likely be these profiles that will show up first in the search results. First impressions count, everything from the profile images you use to the descriptive phrases you’re using to position yourself. If these don’t look good (from the viewers perspective), then it is unlikely they will look further at your skills and experiences. Recruiters and HR professionals have little time and make decisions based on what they see. Having a strong set of social media profiles that constitute your personal brand is now very important.

(CO): Traditionally professional recruitment meant physically sending someone out to “wine and dine” potential recruits. Do you believe the social media revolution has opened the door for people entering the workforce who would have otherwise been overlooked using traditional recruiting techniques?

(AH): Social media allows recruiters to reach and engage people in different environments. I think that they (the recruiters) are better able to get an insight into people setting out for work for the first time. They may have already been tracking them through their studies, sharing stories, content, and relevant information with them. It is easy for employers to find students on specific courses via some basic research on LinkedIn and Facebook. The recruiters are then tasked with building relationships with them early on, so that when it comes to decision-making time, their companies are right there for them.

Round the other way, students can also start their future employer homework early, by identifying target employers and their recruiters. They can follow them and connect to them and start to demonstrate interest, skills, knowledge and intent during their educational years.

(CO): You are widely considered an expert in the field of recruitment through social media. What do you consider is the single most important rule concerning social media use and professional aspirations?

(AH): I will answer that with the opposite of what to start with: the biggest mistake that people make when aligning social media with their personal life is a complete lack of objectives. In other words, they have no idea why they’re doing it, other than they thought—or were told—they should.

My advice is simple; know why you are using social media in the first place.

Then when you have worked that out, focus on the audience you’re trying to reach out to and then post content relevant to their needs and areas of interests.

(AH): If someone had controversial material or remarks posted on social media accounts, it would make me explore further. Everyone knows social media sites are public and easy to find, so if someone is knowingly publishing that type of content then it would raise a red flag for me personally.

I would question their integrity or reasons for doing it, and ask myself, “would I want this person representing my company?”

I look for people with well-rounded social media understanding, how they use different content across different platforms and engage people in conversation. I also look for people that actively engage and chat to people, share their content but at the same time have a personality all their own.

Learn more from Andy

Follow him on Twitter @andyheadworth The world has become a much smaller place over the course of the last 10 years. Virtually every move we make collectively, or individually, can and most likely will be broadcast for mass consumption, often with complete strangers. Mass or open sharing can be our greatest strength or our Achilles heel. It’s a lever that can lift candidates or sink their hopes. Slip-ups can be tragic, but strategically “stacking the deck” in your favor as Andy Headworth suggests can pry open doors to future success. CO

For best results, keep your social media brand

CLEAN AND CONSISTENT. • Did you know that 93 per cent of recruiters will review your social media profiles before making their decision on whether or not to hire you? And 55 per cent of those same recruiters have reconsidered their decision after looking through your social media accounts.

• The sobering fact is that 61 per cent of those reconsiderations are negative. Some of the biggest red flags that turn recruiters away from hiring you are the use of profanity or other inappropriate language, referencing illegal drugs, and posts featuring sexual content.

• If you already keep your posts clean and professional, you aren’t totally off the hook either: spelling and grammar have the greatest negative effect on your chances for employment. Remember, once it’s out there, it’s out there so give yourself the best chance for success.

(CO): As a digital recruitment expert, what are some of the things that you would personally look for if you were scouring the social media world for someone capable of working for your firm? Would you be willing to take a chance on someone who had some controversial material or remarks posted on social media?

ALEX SCANTLEBURY is the founder of EBM Professional Writing Services and a graduate of Algonquin College. Follow him on Twitter @ebmprowriting.

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DEPARTURES IS ONLY THE STARTING

By Pierre Hamel

POINT

W

hen Scott Wilson was growing up, he’d take the maps that appeared in his parents’ National Geographic magazines—maps of anything—and pin those up on his wall. His future involvement in a hugely successful series called Departures featuring two intrepid travelers encountering adventures around the world, often well off the beaten path, weren’t even a consideration. It was just the maps: little pieces of a world that seemed so large and distant.

But the route that the Departures co-creator and co-host took to get there is an adventure of its own filled with a series of interconnecting departures, as it were.

The first departure for Wilson, and his business partner Andre Dupuis, was when they both decided to start using the basic skills acquired at community college to get some summer work. Just finishing the first year of a media arts diploma, they jumped straight into the world of media production. Echo Bay Media was born. It was really just a chance to get some small jobs under their belts, earn a bit of cash and, more importantly, hone their skills in real-world scenarios.

But that year saw only limited engagement and it wasn’t until they graduated that they started to get a feel for the direction they needed to go.

They were lucky enough to, eventually, get involved in the audio/video production of an established

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travel show. Although it was a good experience, they saw the show as dated and began to formulate what a real adventure travel show could be.

“There was nothing special about us,” says Wilson, “we were just young and eager and looking to explore the world.”

As it turns out, they were something special, and the people at Outdoor Life Network (OLN) saw it right away in their original pitch and fresh ideas.

The combination of excellent technical skills, amazing travel locations and the great chemistry between co-hosts Wilson and long-time friend Justin Lukach, sent the series into an upward spiral that saw three seasons of Departures capturing one of the most devoted viewer bases ever for an OLN program.

But more than the polished, television side of this endeavour was the business and personal side of the equation. Wilson and Dupuis, and others involved in the project, had to come face-to-face with budgets as they went along. “Suddenly a missed flight is bigger than just a missed flight because you’re dealing with re-booking for the entire crew and all the gear,” says Wilson. Lost or broken gear and extra days on location suddenly have a much larger importance.

The next departure, this time on the personal side, is learning that travel is the great teacher, and not just of facts about people, places and history. “Sometimes you just need to realize that things are out of your hands and you just need to wait for the next thing and you are not always in control.”

There’s also the learning about tolerance and understanding that goes along with that.

“Culturally you have no choice but to grow: you’re learning all the time because it’s in your face.

You’ve put yourself in the middle of these cultural situations and there’s nothing else but to watch and learn and understand,” says Wilson.

From the entrepreneurial perspective, this skill set becomes huge. “From the business side, knowing where we’ve been, who we’ve met and what we’ve seen—that helps us to look at our business a little differently,” says Wilson. “As well, when we’re looking at further trips for Departures, Descending (Wilson’s new show on OLN), or anything else, we know where we can go and where we can’t, who we can work with, where the opportunities are—it has given us a whole new book to use to plan and facilitate further projects.”

Follow Scott

on his new show Descending— @scottdescending

And planning becomes the most recent departure for Wilson and Echo Bay Media. There’s a constantly changing landscape in the media world, and a couple of successes is not the end of the road: there always has to be the next thing, the next project to keep you on the map.

“THERE WAS NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT US, WE WERE JUST YOUNG AND EAGER AND LOOKING TO EXPLORE THE WORLD.”

But that departure was a rocky road. “We spent all the money we had in the world to put together a pilot concept show with a trip to New Zealand that nearly bankrupted the company,” says Wilson.

“Yet fast forward a year later and we’re sitting in a boardroom at the OLN offices trying to figure out the details about how this would get to air.”

This was not the typical roadmap, but as we know, Wilson knows a thing or two about maps.

“Back then it was just abstract—little pieces of the planet. But now I look at it like, over the course of my life, the world is this puzzle with millions of pieces and I’m given a chance to start putting it together.” Departures was the first hands-on lesson for this.

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“The industry is way different then it was when we started not very long ago, but having our foot in the door allowed us to change with it,” says Wilson. “We have some great partners, a new distributor that is really helping us reach new markets and of course Netflix—so we’re really lucky that we’ve positioned ourselves to take advantage of those changes for the most part.”

“THEY WERE AMAZED THAT WE WERE THERE AND WANTED TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS, TRADITIONS AND CULTURES”

At the end of it all, there is the reflection of what travel is all about.

“In a lot of places, even—or especially—the so-called ‘dangerous places,’ we had people who were genuinely curious about what we were doing.

And not in a menacing way, but rather, they were amazed that we were there and wanted to share their ideas, traditions and cultures.”

When all is said and done, people like Scott Wilson show why travel opens doors and minds and why he will never “suffer from buyer’s remorse” from travelling. And, even more than that, Wilson says, “Never stop challenging yourself. Most people later in life regret the things they didn’t do in life, not the things they did.”

And if you keep your eyes on the maps, pinned to your walls or somewhere else, you’re sure to encounter Wilson’s next departure on a screen somewhere near you. CO

“We’re working in a couple of partnerships, which is new to us,” says Wilson. “I can’t go into details about them, but they are some really great ideas and things that we really want to work on, so those are keeping us busy and there are some very exciting prospects there.” And, as always, there are still the “passion projects” that keep them energized, the latest project dealing with a concept by Dupuis about a sailing adventure that may be on your television in the near future.

PIERRE HAMEL is an experienced writer and editor with a special focus on the post-secondary environment. Follow him on Twitter @ivox_pierre.

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When you help her climb after they said she would never walk, that’s MORE THAN MEDICINE.

Matthew Rubacha, MD, currently an Orthopedic Surgical Resident in Toronto, was drawn to St. George’s University by the dedicated faculty and international perspective. But SGU taught him more than just medicine.

His professors taught him to strive for solutions beyond the expected. Today, he helps people get back on their feet using cutting-edge technology.

Dr. Rubacha is just one of over 13,000 SGU graduate physicians, including 1,000 Canadians, who have practiced medicine all over the world.

Matthew Rubacha, MD, SGU ‘14

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US/Canada: 1 (800) 899-6337 ext. 9 1280 sguenrolment@sgu.edu

©2015 St. George’s University

By Vanessa Mullin

TRAVEL TO LEARN

ABOUT YOURSELF

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WITH GRADUATION DAY LOOMING, THE IDEA OF DECIDING WHAT TO DO WITH ONE’S FUTURE IS DAUNTING.

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very student has the dream of bagging a high-salaried desk job, but most of us dive into this world unprepared for the monotony that often awaits.

I was always the student with my head in the clouds: always dreaming of my next adventure and my way out. Three years after graduating university, I was lost. I had one thousand ideas of where I wanted to be, an arts degree and an abundance of student debt. But I lacked many of the skills needed to bring my dreams to life.

Looking back, I wish I had let myself follow my heart instead of my head and taken the time to travel the world. Now, years later, working in the travel industry has allowed me to come to grips with something a lot of people think is a far off fantasy. While most see travel as an escape, there is so much to be learned by delving off into the great unknown. During my travels over the last two years, I have learned more that I ever had in a classroom.

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Traveling for an extended period of time, not simply taking an all-inclusive break, forces you to learn how to crunch numbers. You live every day counting your dollars, deciding which expenses are frivolous, and learning when to say no and when to treat yourself. Learning the value of a dollar allows the travel junkie to have a more level-headed view of what financial stability truly means, and that a high-salary doesn’t always equate with happiness.

You also learn to appreciate all of the things you have, because the more you own, the more you have to carry. The lighter the backpack, the farther you’ll go. Less is more, and while money can’t buy you happiness, spending a little extra on a hotel room instead of a hostel bed is way better than buying a new pair of jeans to carry around.

Essential to travel is time management. You’ve got planes, trains and tuk-tuks that are waiting for no one. Missing one crucial leg in a journey is a really big deal in the life of a traveler: not to mention the costly re-bookings of services (and a reminder that travel insurance is your best friend).

Similarly, planning and organizational skills are hugely important. You need to map out your itinerary, build your budget, book your transport

and accommodation, and organize visas. Planning a lengthy journey is like mapping out your future: if you miss any of the essential building blocks or exceed your budget, you’re left scrambling to keep yourself afloat. Traveling makes you understand the importance of impeccable attention to detail, another trait all managers seek out in potential employees.

Alongside fearlessness, traveling teaches you to handle situations with a completely different mindset. Consider being stuck in Argentina with no cash, no telephone and a missed flight home: now it’s time find a creative way forward. Or if you find yourself shoeless in the streets of Paris with no French skills, you need to learn to roll with the punches or be stuck on a bench with cold feet.

You learn how to look at things differently, how to survive and thrive instead of just live. You learn how to solve problems with a newly acquired, but un-teachable, set of skills. This mindset provides the building blocks for disruptive innovation and gives you the skill to solve any problem with a unique perspective; you will stand out from the crowd with your ability to think on your feet quickly and efficiently.

As long as you’re tenacious, adaptable and have a keen sense of adventure, you will come back with a new sense of self. Whether it’s three days, three months or more, traveling allows you to embrace a wild sense of freedom and independence that will positively impact all aspects of your future. Spending some time with your head in the clouds and your feet in the sand will leave you feeling that much more prepared for future studies and for the stability and routine of the concrete jungle beyond. CO

VANESSA MULLIN is a University of Ottawa graduate currently working for G Adventures. She is passionate about traveling and writing, and uses her adventures as inspiration for her work. Blog: www.sherambled-on.tumblr.com

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By Stuart Jeffery

THE PRICE OF

EDUCATION FROM A YOUNG AGE, WE’RE TOLD THAT OUR POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION WILL BE THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

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owever, the cost of these experiences has become financially crippling to many students expected to begin paying back their student loan mere months after graduating A post-secondary education has become a serious expense and, unfortunately, coming up with the money to pay for school is a huge challenge for students and parents saving for their child’s future which, in the current economy, is a job in itself.

So when it comes to the cost of an education, many students find themselves relying heavily on student loans or lines of credit. However, after graduation, these debts can become overwhelming as students can be expected to graduate with more than $26,000 in debt, on average. Students are encouraged to reach for the stars while relishing the time they spend working toward their degrees, but many are not provided with the tools and strategies needed to budget for it.

And to compound this, the days when a university degree guaranteed students a secure, wellpaying employment offer are gone: replaced with

the hard truth that most will likely struggle to find a job in their chosen field while working low-paying jobs to maintain their monthly financial obligations.

However, students can minimize the amount borrowed by looking into bursaries, loans and scholarships; seeking out part-time or seasonal employment; budgeting and cost saving when living on or off-campus; and seeking alternative off-campus housing which will all help reduce their yearly fee by thousands. By following a few tips, students can avoid taking out loans, or at the very least make it much more manageable.

The most important part of reducing the amount of your student loan is to begin saving money as early as possible. My parents, being the overachievers my sister and I brag about during awkwardly long toasts during the holidays, began putting money aside for our education before we were born.

Unfortunately, this is not the standard story for many students seeking a post-secondary education that must rely solely on government assistance, or money they have saved from part-time work, or both.

Although the education funds my parents set up for my sister and I covered the cost of our

yearly tuition, we both were encouraged to seek out manageable part-time employment to cover the cost of textbooks, transportation fees, food and rent while completing our degrees.

The best advice I was given when looking for work was to look for a position which could easily transition into full-time work during the summer months. Most campuses offer resources for students seeking employment throughout the year, whether it be seasonal or permanent. Many degree programs offer little time to work throughout the school year, so check for positions which are seasonal, such as landscaping, lifeguarding and house painting.

When a friend accepted an offer from NYU, she opened an online store and sold most of her possessions making enough money to cover her living expenses for the first four months. This gave her the freedom to acclimate to student life while taking the pressure off of looking for an immediate source of income. While this is a drastic step and one which is understandably not for everyone, it did allow her to reduce the total amount she borrowed for her first year of undergrad.

Choose an industry that gives you more career options.

Getting your career started out of school is an exciting time.

But it can be scary, too. That’s why it’s good to know that whatever post secondary studies you chose, you’ll be able to use what you’ve learned in the insurance industry. It’s also good to know that more colleges and universities offer specific courses and programs that can prepare you for a career in insurance.

The list of different jobs and different skills required is so broad in insurance that you’ll be able to identify a specialty that intrigues you, challenges you and rewards you.

To find out more about where in the industry your education would best serve you and potential employers, visit the Career Connections website. You may be surprised to find that insurance isn’t what you think. It’s a whole lot more.

www.career-connections.info

CLIENT: CCC_Margaret Parent

RELEASED:

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“THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF YOUR STUDENT LOAN IS TO BEGIN SAVING MONEY AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE”

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Students, in general, are extremely resourceful when it comes to looking for ways to make extra money, so find a skill you can monetize and create a spot for it in your schedule; YouTube celebrities Hannah Hart and Tyler Oakley both began vlogging to keep in contact with their friends and family while completing their post-secondary education.

Several of my friends found work as freelance writers, graphic designers and website creators while completing their degrees to offset their income.

When applying to university or college, or an apprenticeship program, one should be aware of the scholarships or bursaries offered by the government or independent funders. Many are specific to the program, academic achievement or financial need. The difference between loans and scholarships/bursaries is that you’re not required to pay them back, so it does not add to the financial challenge of a post-secondary education.

There are hundreds of these awards available, so look into them as soon as possible. These can be a one-time payment to the awardee or offered over several years depending on the type of scholarship/bursary you’re awarded or on the conditions of the funder.

Aside from loans you’ve received for the education costs, you will also need spending money while you’re attending school. University students tend to live just a notch above poverty and on an extremely tight budget. Between paying for books, rent, food and utilities, as well as trying to maintain a social life, a post-secondary education can be very expensive. Every student should practice budgeting before they leave for school so they understand how to afford life month-to-month.

I’ve had many friends spend their entire Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) payment weeks before the end of the semester, and then forced to ask their parents or friends for money for food to survive.

You may also want to avoid applying for any credit cards during this time or, like many students, end up with more debt than just your student loan. Establishing credit is great, drowning in high-interest debt not so much. It’s best to avoid this temptation altogether.

Instead of credit, find ways to cut corners.

Try to buy all your textbooks used and, once you finish the course, resell them back to the campus bookstore, online or post them on a student mes-

sage board. When searching for a place to live off-campus it’s cost-effective to live with a group of people and renting a larger apartment or a house.

The best part about renting a house is that you can sublet it—or rooms—to summer students so you do not need to continue moving your furniture back and forth each year.

In the end, an education should not equate to spending a good portion of your adult life in debt.

It’s not easy, but good financial planning can make sure you leave school with just a degree/diploma, good friends and awesome memories. CO

STUART JEFFERY lives in Toronto and often wonders whether it’s strange he does most of his writing in the shower. Read more: janikon.hubpages.com

Go to school.

Stay out of debt.

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By Jasmine Williams

EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY: SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION FOR THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN STUDENTS WHO ARE LOOKING TO CARVE OUT A PLACE IN TOMORROW’S LABOUR MARKET. BUT DO THEY REALLY KNOW WHAT THEIR DEGREES ARE WORTH?

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ARE NEW GRADS PREPARED FOR THE REAL WORLD?

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tudies show that most students will be in for a rude awakening when they get their first pay cheque. A 2013 survey from Accenture revealed that only 15 percent of 2013 graduates said they expected to earn less than $25,000 a year, while 32 percent of actual 2011 and 2012 graduates surveyed said their annual salary was $25,000 or less.

A BMO Bank of Montreal survey had similar results. The 2013 study showed that, on average, Canadian post-secondary students expect a starting salary of $50,668. The reality, according to Statistics Canada, is that students with a degree earned $45,000 a year, on average, after two years on the job. Another interesting, yet not all too surprising result is that male students expect to earn more than their feminine counterparts: an average of $52,938 compared to the females’ $48,096.

So, two years later, are Canadian students more aware of the salary reality that awaits them?

Elena Koskinas is a recent graduate of Western University’s Kinesiology program and has plans to become a sports medicine doctor with her own practice and training facility.

In terms of her future salary, she’s not sure what to expect.

“I honestly don’t know,” says Koskinas, “I’m excited to get going. I’m very anxious because I want to be making money and supporting myself fully, but I realize that with my chosen career path, it’s not really instant gratification or money.”

She has a point. According to Service Canada, workers in the general practitioners and family physicians occupational group earn an average annual salary of $139,681 per year, but a career in sports medicine requires four years of medical school, a clinical residency, and a certification of added qualification in sports medicine, which requires an additional two-year fellowship according to SportMedBC.com—a promoter of applied expertise in sport medicine in B.C. Bianca Mae Go is a recent graduate of the Public Affairs and Policy Management program at Carleton University. She hopes to pursue a career in project management, IT, or communications. She says she hasn’t done enough research to know the typical salary, (which, according to Statistics Canada is $48,000 for her major) but she has modest expectations.

CA RE EROP TI O N SMAGA ZIN E.COM

“Salary is a contentious issue,” says Go. “There’s a general stigma where students expect the worst pay just to get their start. I honestly am expecting the worst when it comes to negotiating salary because I don’t think I’d be able to match my skill set to the salary which I think I deserve.”

Dan Taekema, a graduate of Carleton University’s Journalism program hopes to become a print or broadcast journalist.

His salary expectations? “I’m really not sure. I guess $100,000 would be good, but to start off I’d be happy with $50,000 - $60, 000,” says Dan. The reality? $31,000—the lowest of salary averages according to StatsCan. Stephanie Crawford is not yet a graduate: she still has two years to go on a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Carleton University. The business student is an aspiring entrepreneur who plans to run her own wedding planning and real estate businesses.

She expects the highest salary of the bunch. Most business majors can expect to start out with a salary of around $48,000, says StatsCan. Event planners typically make an average of $43,900 and the average annual income for a real estate professional is $52,800. But 41 percent of those surveyed take home more than $50,000 a year.

“At first I expect/want a salary in the $100,000 range, but over time I will be in the millions,” says Crawford. “I feel good about it, but having your own businesses can be scary and unstable at times. I know I will get to where I want to, it just depends on the hurdles I have to get over first.”

Anojan Palarajah and Sarah Duffy both studied at the University of Toronto, albeit in widely differing programs. Palarajah is an engineering science grad and Duffy has a degree in Arts Management. Palarajah plans to

be an investment or qualitative analyst, and Duffy’s dream job title would be museum object conservator.

Palarajah expects an annual salary of around $60-65,000 and Duffy expects about $50,000. your future salary at PayScale.com The reality for their majors is more conservative: $53,000 for engineering majors and $31,000 for visual arts majors.

But despite their different pursuits, and much different entry-level salaries, both are optimistic about the road ahead.

“I feel great because I get to do what I like to do,” says Palarajah.

“I have never regretted a second of my pursuit of this path,” says Duffy.

It’s not an easy time to be a new grad. With the economy still bouncing back from the recession, it is difficult to plan ahead. It’s clear the expectations of these six students don’t fully align with the average reality, but all are prepared to work hard to pursue their passions. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what the “real world” is all about? CO

Calculate

JASMINE WILLIAMS is a freelance writer and editor based in Toronto. Her beats are health, education, and pop culture. Follow her musings on Twitter @TheJasWilliams.

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CANADIAN INDUSTRY INVESTS IN

By Pierre Hamel

SKILLED TRADES THE WORD ON THE STREET IS THAT THE CANADIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR IS DONE. FINISHED. KAPUT. BUT THE STREET IS VERY WRONG.

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n actual fact, there’s a thriving manufacturing sector in Canada, and what it needs most is skilled trades. Lots of them. And they need them yesterday.

Now some of the larger players in this game aren’t just waiting around for the skilled trade gap to fill on its own. Companies like Linamar— a diversified global manufacturing company of highly engineered products headquartered in Guelph Ontario—are taking action and, in this case, partnering with Conestoga College.

This summer Linamar announced that it would provide $500,000 as part of their Industrial Skilled Trades Scholarships. This would provide six students entering Conestoga’s Mechanical Technician–General Machinist two-year diploma program with more than $3,000 each to offset the costs associated with their studies. The scholarship is renewable for those who successfully complete their first year of studies with good academic standing and return to complete the program.

“There’s a real shortage in the skilled trades which is a real challenge for us and companies like Linamar,” says Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar Corp. “These technical people are the ones who drive so much of the innovation in our company: innovation in terms of our processes, improving tool life, improving cycle time, even purchasing,” says Hasenfratz.

So this initiative will help those new students as well as Conestoga College, and should also attract more students into these and other skilled trades programs. Then, in theory, those students graduate and then go out into the workforce to fill that massive gap that is costing more than $24 billion in lost productivity every year, and that’s just in Ontario: this according to The Conference Board of Canada.

“I think this is good for Linamar, it’s certainly good for the students, it helps the college attract more qualified students and, let’s face it, it’s good for society,” says John Tibbits, President of Conestoga College. “There’s a skills gap that exists and there’s no way we alone can fill it, but this is a great step in that direction.”

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And this should go a long to attracting students into this program and perhaps other programs as well. But this scholarship is more than just money, it goes further—a lot further. Just like in many European models, the students in the scholarship stream also get a co-op placement during their studies and, as a bonus, Linamar will hire suitable grads who went through the program and want to continue their careers with Linamar. It’s a win-win-win.

In a real sense, this is like the traditional apprenticeship model, but with a new attitude. “We’re not re-inventing the wheel here,” says Hasenfratz, “this is the way apprenticeships have kind of worked for a very long time, we’re just fine-tuning the model to work with a specific skill set that is valuable today.”

Any way you look at it, it’s a start down the right road for skilled trades.

When younger individuals start looking at colleges as their best first choice for a rewarding career path, and when companies invest in the colleges and students so they can fill the high-skilled positions that they need to fill, then everyone wins.

That’s the word on the street. CO

PIERRE HAMEL is an experienced writer and editor with a special focus on the post-secondary environment. Follow him on Twitter @ivox_pierre.

For more information on on the Conference Board of Canada skills gap study, visit www.conferenceboard.ca/infographics/skills-gap-info.aspx

A CAREER IN DEMAND WITH SCHOLARSHIP INCENTIVES Prepare for a career in industrial skilled trades with generous support from Linamar. Become a specialist in the precision machining/tooling industries by completing Conestoga’s Mechanical Technician – General Machinist two-year diploma program. of 2012-2013 graduates found employment within • 100% 6 months of graduation

• New scholarship program sponsored by Linamar Corporation and full-time employment opportunities with Linamar • Co-op Corporation available for those who are eligible Learn more about the program at www.conestogac.on.ca/fulltime/1133C.jsp

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Think it’s too early to invest?

By Kyle Prevost

THINK AGAIN.

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lthough dubious, I remember stumbling upon an Einstein quotation while I was surfing aimlessly through online articles. Apparently, Einstein stated that compound interest was “the greatest mathematical discovery of all time,” and that it was “the most powerful force in the universe.”

Although Albert Einstein never actually said this doesn’t mean that this isn’t true. Compound interest is powerful—not in the same way as atomic energy—but powerful just the same.

When I try to explain my epiphany to others, I find it useful to illustrate the reality of compound interest using everyday purchases. For example, if you become as addicted to saving as a smoker is to nicotine, you will be a millionaire at an age when most Canadians aren’t even close to retirement. How did I get to that conclusion?

If you invest your $15-per-pack habit in broadly diversified investments instead of smokes, at what most experts would agree is a reasonable 8 percent return, compounded monthly from the time you were 18, you would have a nest egg of over $1.6 million by age 58.

By comparison, if you started investing at age 40 after you had established your career, started a family, got into the house of your dreams, bought a couple of new vehicles, and went on some pricey vacations, you would have to contribute $50,000 per year for 18 years, and have roughly the same nest egg waiting for you at 58: assuming a 6 per-

cent return on your money because you can’t take the same long-term risks at 40 as you could at 18.

A pack of cigarettes a day versus $50K per year. That’s the power of compound interest.

A major factor when it comes to generating wealth isn’t picking the right stocks or inventing the next Facebook (although that’s not a bad gig if you can get it): it’s simply time in the markets.

In other words, the number of years your money is invested and allowed to compound without you spending it is much more important than trying to understand the complicated array of investment options available.

Investing doesn’t have to be hard. When you stop and think about it, the idea of using your money to produce more money is pretty straight forward. A bond is just lending someone money and having them pay you back that money with a little more for your efforts: called interest. A stock or share is a small piece of a company that you’re buying. When that company makes money it might give you some of it in the form of a dividend. And because the company is making more money than before, people are now willing to pay more for it, and consequentially the stock or share price goes up. If a company pays you a 3 percent dividend over the course of a year, and its share price is worth 5 percent more at the end of the year than at the beginning, that’s an 8 percent total return.

If you had $100 at the beginning of the year, you would now have $108 if you were to sell your shares

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and cash out your dividends. If you use that $8 to buy more shares/stocks, that’s how the power of compounding occurs. It’s truly that simple.

Most people don’t want to spend hours every day staring at graphs and charts about stocks and bonds. Fortunately, there are several investing solutions that don’t require you to spend more than a couple hours every year organizing your portfolio. Check out some of the many websites devoted to this, like YoungandThrifty.ca where you can pick up a free eBook on user-friendly investing solutions: or simply Google the term “Couch Potato Investing.” It really isn’t that difficult to understand. If you can understand very basic ratios, apply percentages and hit a search engine when the result isn’t immediately clear, then you can put your money to work for you.

I know many pack-a-day smokers who can find $15 every day, but there’s a better use for that money—quit spending more than the sum of your paycheque every month, take control of your finances, do a little bit of reading and get “the most powerful force in the universe” working for you. CO KYLE PREVOST is a personal finance expert helping people save and invest at YoungandThrifty.ca and MyUniversityMoney.com

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