Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Looking for Experience?

Academia is an integral part of a student's life at university, but an equally important part is thinking about their career goals and aspirations. With job market as competitive as it is today, there is no earlier time to start thinking about your career than today! It is crucial to understand that the four years that we spend working towards an undergraduate degree, can also be used to explore the career fields that are available as a result of your education and interests. To gain a competitive edge, one needs not just the right education but experience that counts as well. But where do one look for to find relevant volunteer or job opportunities? Career Learning Network (CLN) provides just the perfect solution! 

Why Career Learning Network you ask? This website provides an amazing database of jobs that are accessible both by the current students at UTSC as well as our recent graduates. Another cool feature about CLN is that apart from posting various on-campus jobs, lots of off-campus jobs are also posted on a fairly regular basis. For students looking for Work-Study positions, CLN is the place to regularly visit as all the Work-Study position are also posted on CLN. For more information in terms of deadlines and eligibility, feel free to browse through the Work-Study page available at AA&CC homepage. 

Still not convinced that CLN is the perfect solution? There are various external resources that are available for students to explore in CLN, which include Career Cruising, Goinglobal, Directory of Careers and Employment in Canada etc. While Career Cruising and Directory of Careers and Employment in Canada provide a starting point to the question we all ask some point in our life - 'What do I do with my life, which career direction do I go in?' Goinglobal offers valuable information about international opportunities including internship options as well. While booking an appointment with one of our career counselors is a wonderful way to start a conversation, in my personal opinion the appointment is much more productive once the student has invested enough time in exploring their options. The above mentioned websites and many more such resources provide just the right amount of exposure.

Apart from the above, keep checking CLN regularly for various workshops, panel discussions and events that you might want to attend that could help you in the process of exploring your career or further education options. Good Luck! 




Friday, February 21, 2014

Terminate your Midterms!

Well it’s that time of year again folks! Reading week is coming to an end and you all know what that means…midterms (*sigh*). Hopefully you’ve all been relaxing but also using your time wisely and studying for classes, catching up on readings, starting assignments. I’ve always found this time of year to be crucial for success in a course because often times being on track with course work during midterms will help you from falling behind for the last start of the semester. Also, many final exams are cumulative so studying well for your midterm will help you do well and understand the course material better for the final! Here are some tips to help you be successful during midterms :)

 Time Management
I’m a strong believer in slow and steady wins the race. What does this mean? It means that taking the time to study little by little for an exam each day over a long period of time is far more beneficial to your understanding of course material and as a result, doing well on a midterm. Ideally it’s best to start studying for your midterm two weeks in advance. I know what you’re thinking; “Two weeks?! Souraiya, I don’t have time for that! I have to do homework, attend to family obligations and play Flappy Bird in that time (curse you Flappy Bird!!)”. To you I say, hold your horses! I’m not suggesting you go full on day and night study mode two weeks in advance to your exam; a lecture or even half a lecture a day worth of review will help you retain the information longer and do well in an exam.

    Study Setting
You know best how you study; whether it’s individually or with a group of classmates or friends. I’ve found that a lot of times I enjoy studying with my friends or classmates to keep me motivated but to be honest; we got off task from studying pretty quickly when we did study together. As a result, I found that I needed to take the initiative to reframe my own way of studying by sitting on my own to study but have my friends somewhere in the vicinity (whether it be the library, a study space, someone’s house) in case I had questions to ask them. Of course, this is my personal experience. You may find that you and your friends study great together! Whatever the case, be aware of choosing a study setting that works for you.

  Take Care of Yourself
Taking care of your well-being is something that students often forget to do during midterms. It’s understandable to get caught up in the stress of constantly studying and forgetting to sleep at a decent hour or forgetting to eat in a healthy manner (translation: no pizza for a whole week straight) because you’ve got school on your mind. But be careful, just because you have a lot of school work piling up isn’t an excuse to forget to live a healthy lifestyle. Eat well, take a run to clear your head, sleep before midnight and wake up at a decent time in the morning. Taking care of yourself is the first step in achieving success!

Good luck,
Souraiya

Monday, February 10, 2014

Navigating Uncertainty Within Your Future Career Path!

http://www.l3analytics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/iStock_confused_by_choice-v2.jpg
http://www.l3analytics.com/2012/01/26/my-hopes-for-web-analytics-in-the-future/

If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed about where your schooling will take you next, I assure you that you are not the only one feeling this way.  It's quite a usual feeling that almost every undergraduate student faces at one point during the span of their degree. 

If you ever find yourself under similar circumstances, I'm here to tell you that it's really not the end of the world.  To help find solutions to virtually all academic and career related inquiries, come by our office and have a chat in AC213!

AA&CC has many services targeted at students in similar situations, so definitely do take advantage of all the resources we provide.

Today's blog will introduce you to resources AA&CC provides targeted at students who may be unsure of where their undergraduate degree will take them, career wise.  Perhaps you have a career in mind, but are confused about the direction or pathway you need to undertake in order to achieve it,  or maybe you are not even sure of which career path to pursue at all.  These are all valuable concerns our centre can help solve for you.  So definitely take advantage!

SELF ASSESSMENT INVENTORIES:

careerassessmentsite.com
MBTI & Career Development: "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" is a personality inventory which can assist you in various areas including your preferred communication style and working environments.  This is based on Carl Jung's theory of psychological type.  This report can assist you in determining the link between your personality type and how it affects career exploration.  Furthermore, it aids in providing details with regards to occupations pertaining to your reported personality type.

Procedure: You'll need to first book an "inquiry" appointment with a Career Councellor, which can also be done during our walk-in service.  Following the initial debrief, you'll take the test on your own time.  After the test has been taken, you can book a follow-up appointment with a Career Councellor to discuss the results. 

NOTE: There is a $25.00 fee to cover the cost of the MBTI Career Report.

head4success.com
Strong Interest Inventory & Career Development: This inventory helps match a combination of interests, education, and leisure activities in order to identify career options.  Additional assessments indicating your preference in areas as leadership and teamwork are areas of focus also.

Procedure: Same as above.  

NOTE: There is also a fee of $15.00 associated with the report you will receive. 

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EMPLOYMENT WORKSHOPS

Networking To Find Work: 
Tuesday February 11, 2014 
2:00PM to 3:30PM 
Location: AA321
Attend this workshop to learn more about networking and be prepared to gain hands-on experience using networking skills. 

Work Search Strategies
Tuesday February 18, 2014 
10:00AM to 11:30AM
Location: AA160
Discover alternative job search strategies and resources that can help you generate and follow-up on  leads for jobs you really want.

Discover Your Skills and Career Options
Tuesday February 18, 2014
12:00PM to 02:00PM
Location: AA160
This workshop will introduce you to information in relation to realistic career options, degree specific.


Keep in mind these are just a few of the many workshops being held.  To see a complete listing of all upcoming workshops,Visit: AA&CC Calendar.  


To sign up, visit: Career Learning Network
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Tipsheets:

The Value of a Degree

What can I do with my degree?


As I always mention, browse through our website:  Academic Advising & Career Centre and take utmost advantage of all the valuable information provided.

Keep in mind, the resources that I have discussed within my blog are only a few of the many many resources we have available to you!  However, the only way to find out what's missing, is to come by and visit!

Furthermore, you can also book an appointment with either an Academic Advisor or a Career Councellor depending on your area of concern.  They are qualified experts who can help you with all that you need to ensure your journey here at UTSC is worth it.

Looking forward to meeting you in person!

Good luck and Best Wishes,
Priya Antony


Contact us:  UTSC Academic Advising & Career Centre