We interview Yinan Xia, Real Estate Broker and Sr. Vice President at the Bay Street Group, as well as an adjunct lecturer teaching Real Estate Investment courses at Victoria International College of Business and Technology about how can students find suitable housing. For students living outside of the dormitory or their parents’ home for the first time, where you live can have a huge impact on how you feel, and in turn, how you do in school. Factors such as location, quality of the building, price, and co-inhabitants can greatly affect the quality of life you have in your living space. So, it is important to know what to look for when looking for a place to live.
HIGHLIGHTS
Journey of an entrepreneur in the real estate industry
Top 3 things to consider when renting a property
What to look out for when negotiating a lease in Ontario
Resources worth consulting before embarking on a property search
Advice for students preparing for their first purchase of property
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To get more help with academic writing, application coaching, or professional development, book a 20 minute discovery call with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
All the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interviewed Penelope and Mary, two sisters on a mission to create empowering relatable designs that highlight social issues, about starting your own business without a business degree. The professional world isn’t exactly the same as generations before us. People change careers often, work multiple jobs or gigs, and often prefer to work for themselves than a large established corporation. Long gone is the dream (or reality) of working the same job until retirement. So, we thought it would be interesting for students and recent grads to learn about young adults who have started some creative and meaningful businesses.
Penelope and Mary showcase their meaningful designs on an array of clothing and accessories. They also try to do their part to give back to the community by donating a portion of their profits to non-profits that represent their personal and professional values. They are the epitome of a socially conscious business. Ultimately, Penelope and Mary’s goal is to make people feel good about themselves and brave enough to shed light on some really important issues.
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How do you think your creative educational backgrounds and your own kind of work experience have helped you as you ventured into the world of entrepreneurship?
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Penelope: I am a believer that all of our skills are transferable in many ways. For my undergrad degree, I majored in film studies, and then I did a diploma in social work. Two, what seems to be different avenues, really required a lot of the same type of skills such as: perception, communication, seeing things that are not necessarily right in your face. For example, when you are making or studying a film, you are analyzing it, breaking it down, looking at the story that is being told, learning about the characters… Films are such a beautiful medium for storytelling, and to also create social change. Learning how these types of mediums can tell stories that can change people’s lives and shed light on a lot of topics was the one thing I really took away from my Film degree. With my experience in social work, I learned all about looking at the world as a whole and lifting the veil to seeing it through a lens of understanding of issues like white privilege, and oppression. These experiences really opened my mind. Now, I am taking all of that and putting it into this business in terms of our concept and what we are trying to achieve with this business. We strive to become a socially responsible and conscious business.
Mary: It is a little more obvious how my background would help out this business. I have always loved to draw and it is something that I have been doing since I can remember. Naturally, I became an artist and decided to learn about graphic design. With graphic design, I had to come up with designs all the time. I had to always come up with different concepts and learning to design different things, such as posters, websites, and photographs. All these things that I learned in school, I have tied into this business. I have taken those creative and designing tools and applied them directly to our products. My educational background has been a huge impact on our business.
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What would you tell your 25-year-old selves, who are thinking of starting a business in the next few years? What kind of warnings or tips would you give them?
Mary: I would tell my younger self to not be overly confident. Do not go into this thinking that things need to fall into place right away. Do not assume that things need to work out right away for things to be successful. Everything takes time. Even now we are still growing and learning and we are still not at the point where we want to be yet. When we first started this whole business, I was under the assumption that I am pretty good at designing, so we are gonna get sales, and everything is going to work out perfectly. However, that has not been the case. That has been a learning experience to be patient and just keep going. Sometimes, you have to let go of expectations. Do not give up and things will slowly get better.
Penelope: Personally, I think one of the challenges of starting a business is not necessarily the process of starting it, but rather figuring out how it is going to evolve and your vision for the business. What direction do you want it to go? This question can be hard because you may have a really good idea, but not really know what the vision is like. Even if you have a vision, there is a lot of stuff you are not going to think about or know. You have to learn a lot of new things and skills and everything takes time. As Mary said, you cannot just go into it expecting to make money right away or get sales right away because it is not going to happen. You have to build up to that.
Tell us a little bit about the values in your business. Where does the inspiration come from?
Penelope: Empowerment is like, a major one for us. We want our design to make people feel good about themselves. We want our designs to make people feel seen, Mary and I have often felt very misunderstood throughout our lives. Personally, I felt like a very misunderstood person most of my life. I felt like an outsider who did not always fit in. We just really want our designs to reach out to people that do not feel like they are important or special, or that they matter. For example, our AF collection, such as Queer AF, Sensitive AF was actually my idea. I have felt ashamed my whole life for how sensitive I am and I want to reach out to people who have felt ashamed for being who they truly are, and let them know that they should not feel that way. A lot of our values come from our hearts and personal experiences. We aim to create something that it speaks to people. It is always about love, acceptance, inclusivity, and empowerment.
Mary: My answer would be really similar to what Penelope said. Through our designs, we try to make people feel relatable. For example, I identify as pansexual, so that is why we have the queer design. I know how hard it is to come to terms with who you are and even now I am still discovering myself more and more as I get older. All of our designs are a piece of us. It all comes from personal stories, our personal journey or those close to us and their journey. We are always just trying to make everything really authentic. Thinking about the keywords about our values, another one would be kindness. Treating people with kindness is highly valued for us in a world where everyone is so competitive. For women, especially, sometimes we feel not enough: not pretty enough, not smart enough, or not doing enough. As a result, we want to speak on that issue through our designs and a big part of our focus is on female empowerment.
Thank you, Mary and Penelope, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!
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Missed the podcast? Listen here:
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For more advice about writing, check out our weekly podcast or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
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To get more help with your assignments, book a 20 minute discovery session with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
Both the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interview Penelope and Mary, who are two sisters on a mission to create empowering relatable designs that highlight social issues that they feel deserve a spotlight, about starting your own creative business without a business degree. The professional world isn’t exactly the same as generations before us. People change careers often, work multiple jobs or gigs, and often prefer to work for themselves than at a large established corporation. Long gone is the dream (or reality) of working the same job until retirement. So, we thought it would be interesting for students and recent grads to talk to some young adults who have started some creative and meaningful businesses as a result of COVID.
HIGHLIGHTS
Inspiration and the path leading to starting a creative business and career
How does a liberal arts degree help in the world of entrepreneurship
Challenges and rewards of business operators
Advice for a recent grad thinking of turning a creative passion into a career
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To get more help with academic writing, application coaching, or professional development, book a 20 minute discovery call with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
All the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We’ll be taking a little break from posting, and we hope you’re able to take a rest and get outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather too. The business will be closed until Tuesday, July 13th.
We’ll be back with a podcast next week on how to be a creative entrepreneur.
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To get more help with academic writing, application coaching, or professional development, book a 20 minute discovery call with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
All the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interview Reverend Emily Gordon, a minister of the United Church of Canada here in Toronto, about vocations. A vocation is defined as a strong feeling of suitability for a certain occupation. People who talk about being called to do something or that they couldn’t imagine doing anything else are likely pursuing a vocation. However, one profession that requires individuals to feel called to it before they can even get an entry-level position is ministry. This is an area of work that is often not discussed by career counselors because of its status as a vocation, but for individuals who seek meaning, purpose, and a connection to something beyond themselves this may be the ideal path.
HIGHLIGHTS
The distinction between vocation and career
Advice for young people feeling a call to the Church
Being a spiritual person in a secular world
Daily spiritual practices for students to help stay grounded and connected, especially during stressful times
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To get more help with academic writing, application coaching, or professional development, book a 20 minute discovery call with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
All the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
As we enter spring and summer, students are looking for jobs in this uncertain period of COVID. As if job hunting wasn’t hard enough, COVID makes it even trickier. We wanted to share some career-related posts from last years, like this one, that would be helpful to students who are trying to find work during this uncertain period.
We interviewed Danielle Law, Associate Professor in Psychology and Youth and Children’s Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, about her career journey from student to professor. While a B.A. degree provides students with transferable skills such as critical thinking, which can be used for a number of career paths, many choose to attend graduate school and eventually become a Professor.
Danielle is Associate Professor of Psychology and Youth and Children’s Studies at Wilfred Laurie University and Director of the Child and Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) Lab. Her research focuses on the social-emotional development of children and youth and their mental well-being. Danielle’s primary area of research focuses on online aggression, associated mental health concerns, responsible Internet use, and creating caring communities. She strives to connect academia with the community with her research, teaching and learning philosophies.
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Can you tell us a little about what the daily work of a Professor is like?
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In the summer and spring, I’m usually preparing for the fall. I am preparing for my courses. I’m also writing manuscripts for publication and also working on research projects. I also supervise graduate students, which happens all year round. For example, next week I have a thesis defense for one of my students. Then, I also need to attend committee meetings for the university to talk about program development and recruitment and etc.
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What kinds of career options are there for PhD graduates in Psychology that are outside of mainstream academia?
Some of my students have gone into counseling or have become therapists. I have some students, and also my own colleagues and friends, who work for Statistics Canada. They do research for the government and I also have others who are researching for the private sector as a research associate for different industries because the thing about getting your PhD is that they’re training you to be able to conduct research. So, many of my colleagues and friends are conducting research outside of academia, but some are also working in school administrative positions, such as the school board. Some have even gone off to start their own research consulting firms.
What advice do you have for first-year university students?
I think it’s really important to open your doors to as many possibilities and if there are people accepting bachelor students to volunteer in their research labs, I would take it because it’s a very rare opportunity to get that chance to research outside of graduate school. All of my students in my lab, apart from two, are undergraduate students. They all have this opportunity to conduct research and have their names on publications during undergrad. It will help them to get into grad school later, and that’s one of the reasons why I like having this opportunity for undergrads in my lab.
Danielle’s Book Recommendations and Resources
Books:
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Give and Take by Adam Grant
Why we Sleep by Matthew Walker
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
Podcasts:
“The Happiness Lab” by Dr Laurie Santos
”How To!” by Charles Duhigg
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Thank you, Danielle, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!
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Missed the podcast? Listen here:
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For more advice about writing, check out our weekly podcast or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
_
To get more help with your assignments, book a 20 minute discovery session with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
Both the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interview Megan Kee, the founder of 20/20 Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to the production of innovative art projects that raise awareness, visibility, and fund for charitable organizations about Starting a Non-Profit. This week’s episode is part of our Careers in the Arts series, where we talk to young professionals with Fine Arts or Liberal Arts degrees, who have established themselves in an interesting and fulfilling profession. Deciding what to do after university, especially with a degree like a Bachelor of Arts that is often general and does not prepare you for any specific profession, can be daunting. What most students don’t realize though is that your Arts degree has provided you with a variety of transferable skills, such as critical thinking, research, organization, and communication that can be applied to a number of different professions. We hope that through these interviews students will feel less overwhelmed and hopeful about their career options.
HIGHLIGHTS
Path of discovery towards career goals
How does education help with building skills and confidence
Advice for young adults on careers in the Arts
Strategies for work-life balance
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To get more help with academic writing, application coaching, or professional development, book a 20 minute discovery call with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
All the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interviewed Fernanda Yanchapaxiabout the experience of Indigenous students studying at Canadian universities and the issues that they care about. Six percent of the entire world population identifies as Indigenous, and 5% of the Canadian population. In countries with a history of colonization, such as Canada, there is an underlying pain and tension between the Indigenous and settler communities. As a result of generational trauma and discrimination, Indigenous students face different obstacles to their education than settlers or international students.
Fernanda Yanchapaxi is an Indigenous/Mesitzx PhD student in the Social Justice Program at the Ontario Institution for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She has over 15 years of experience working in the education sector to promote egalitarian policies and strategies that contribute to the healing of generations of racism and oppression. She has worked with youth and professionals to promote Indigenous activism, policy development, and program implementation. Her current research focuses on Indigenous knowledge with the context of Western intellectual property norms in her home country of Ecuador.
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As a student, how do you think your experience has been different from other students because of your Indigenous roots and growing up in Ecuador?
Yes, Canadian universities have been very different from what I am used to before. We have different systems and the institutions work differently. It has been a privilege to be able to have access to resources that other people do not have in Educator whether they are Indigenous or not. The main difference here from what I have been seeing is that the institutions are not centering Indigenous people, Indigenous history, and Indigenous perspectives in terms of how they understand or support students. As someone who does not speak English before, it has been very challenging for me to adapt. I have been very lucky to have Indigenous professors and Indigenous mentors within the institution. If I did not have these support, I probably would not be able to continue my study.
What kinds of changes do you hope to see within the university system to support the education and professional development of more Indigenous students, like yourself?
I think the universities still remain hostile for some specific groups of students that did not have access to a lot of resources, which include not only Indigenous people but black people as well. I think universities should hire more Indigenous professors for Indigenous studies, admit more Indigenous students, and make partnerships with Indigenous communities for research.
What advice would you give to your younger self if on the day that you started your grad school program?
I would suggest doing research about your program, and finding out if the program has Indigenous professors. Look at the areas of study and if there are Indigenous professors, request to have them as your advisors from the beginning. I do not mean necessarily research supervisors, but rather advisors within the programs. Look for existing Indigenous student groups that have already been working with the university. Gather as much support as possible. As someone who has attended universities as an Indigenous person, I know that it will make a big difference. Knowing there are people just like you and there is a community providing you with support and resources are very helpful.
Fernanda’s Book Recommendation
The Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano
Lisa’s Book Recommendation
Harper’s Anthology of Twentieth-Century Native American Poetry edited by Duane Niatum
Thank you, Fernanda, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers! You can find out more about Fernanda by following her on Twitter @mfyanchpaxi.
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Missed the podcast? Listen here:
_
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For more advice about writing, check out our weekly podcast or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
_
To get more help with your assignments, book a 20 minute discovery session with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
Both the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interview Reverend Emily Gordon, a minister of the United Church of Canada here in Toronto, about vocations. A vocation is defined as a strong feeling of suitability for a certain occupation. People who talk about being called to do something or that they couldn’t imagine doing anything else are likely pursuing a vocation. However, one profession that requires individuals to feel called to it before they can even get an entry-level position is ministry. This is an area of work that is often not discussed by career counselors because of its status as a vocation, but for individuals who seek meaning, purpose, and a connection to something beyond themselves this may be the ideal path.
HIGHLIGHTS
The distinction between vocation and career
Advice for young people feeling a call to the Church
Being a spiritual person in a secular world
Daily spiritual practices for students to help stay grounded and connected, especially during stressful times
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To get more help with academic writing, application coaching, or professional development, book a 20 minute discovery call with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
All the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
We interviewed Dane Mauer-Vakil and Aravind Rajendran about the transition from an undergraduate degree to a graduate degree, particularly in conducting graduate research. As an undergraduate, you are working to meet certain requirements and receive high grades. However, when you transition to graduate school, the relationship you have with your professors, colleagues, and the research changes.This term, many of you are starting Grad School for the first time, so we thought it would be a good idea to talk a bit about that transition.
Dane Mauer-Vakil is a Master student enrolled in the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto with a focus on mental health and addiction services in community settings.
Aravind Rajendran is also a Master student enrolled in the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto with a focus on tobacco control policy. Aravind is currently a Research Assistant at the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, and has an interest in the tobacco control policy, with a focus on e-cigarettes.
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What advice would you give incoming Masters students to help them with the transition from Undergrad to Grad School?
Dane: Going into graduate study is definitely a transition, but I would recommend to be as relaxed as possible, and enjoy it as well because it’s definitely an exciting time in life. You’re going to meet a lot of new people and learn a lot of cool stuff. That being said, I would also urge students to manage their time well, and really be as organized as possible. The workload, in terms of reading specifically, is considerably more than what would be seemed as commonplace for an undergraduate degree. Be cognizant of how you spend your time, but to enjoy it as much as possible. Seek help from your friends and colleagues and your supervisors when needed.
Aravind: I think Dane really put it very nicely. The only thing I would add to what he said is that the point of graduate school is a little different than undergrad. In undergrad, you’re learning a bunch of courses that are already decided for you because of the program you’re in, especially in the first or second year. And you only get some choice in the upper years. Whereas in grad school, you will specialize in a particular topic. Thus, whether you go into a PhD or not, the point of grad school is to really develop your research skills and knowledge in a particular area of interest for you. Another important thing to do would be to try to make the best use of your time in grad school to learn as much as you can about your topic outside of the courses you’re taking. So that means reading up on research papers that interest you, reading separate books that interest you, etc. You want to try to make use of the time as best as you can and try to soak in as much as the knowledge of your area of interest as you can write well because you have access to the library and so many resources.
What would you say has been your biggest challenge transitioning from undergraduate school or graduate school?
Dane: I would say personally the transition for me was potentially a bit smoother than those who came in, either straight from undergrad or came in with little or no research experience. I had a couple of years between undergrad and starting my Master’s where I was working on research so I was able to kind of get into the mindset of doing research. My biggest challenge in grad school was probably just kind of altering the way I thought about what constitutes success or progress towards my goals. In undergraduate, your, or at least in my case, my main priority was to get high marks, so that I’ll be able to go to grad school. And now, as Arvind had alluded to, we’re really in graduate school to develop ourselves as researchers. It’s less about grades and more about your output, such as writing for journal publications and presenting your work at conferences.
Aravind: For me, I think one of the main challenges was actually living away from home because I lived at my parents’ house in undergrad, whereas now I’m on my own. Apart from that, one of the things that I found a little different in terms of he actual academic experience was definitely the volume of reading that you’re required to do. And, the other thing that was a bit challenging was the extra learning that goes on outside of courses. For example, at the University of Toronto, there are these things called collaborative specializations, which are sort of like minors degrees in undergrad study. I was in one of those collaborative programs, and that was a very new experience for me compared to undergrad, in a good way. I was able to partake in a separate series of lectures and learned about this other topic of interest to me. I think that was really creative and it was also a little unique perhaps to UofT. But, even if you don’t go to UofT, I’m 100% sure that there’s definitely going to be a bunch of lectures beyond your coursework. It’s going to be a challenge to manage your time to try to attend these, but I think it’s super important that you do because you’re going to get a lot out of it.
Both of you were successful at getting scholarships and grants to attend Grad School. What tips to do you have for new applicants?
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Dane: I suggest applying for all the funding and scholarships that you can, even before you apply to your program. Both Aravind and I got an external award funding to cover for our first-year tuition. I applied for mine a year before I got into the program and in an interesting way that actually helped me get accepted to the program. I was on a waiting list and then I was offered this scholarship that I applied for, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Scholarship (CIHR). I emailed the institute afterward and told them about my scholarship and that was instrumental in actually getting into the program. Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that just having those external rewards or scholarships is good for moving forward into a PhD or moving into the workforce after a Master’s. Those awards essentially show that you’re worthy of that money moving forward in academia. I would definitely suggest to anyone considering grad school to look for as many scholarships that you can apply for both internally and externally. Also, talk to people that are in the program, and try to figure out what grants they have and how you can get those scholarships.
Aravind: I definitely agree that it is better to apply for your scholarships in advance because it can definitely help you in securing a place. I got the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). For these scholarships, you wouldn’t get them until the next year. So, if you apply now in September 2020, you wouldn’t receive the grant until the following year. That’s why I recommend applying for scholarships early.
Book Recommendations
Dane’s recommendation:
The Focus Effect: Change Your Work, Change Your Life by Bruce Bowser and Greg Wells
The Ripple Effect: Sleep Better, Eat Better, Move Better, Think Better by Greg Wells
Aravind’s recommendation:
Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts
Lisa’s recommendation:
As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto by Joan Reardon
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Thank you, Dane and Aravind, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!
_
Missed the podcast? Listen here:
_
_
For more advice about writing, check out our weekly podcast or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
_
To get more help with your assignments, book a 20 minute discovery session with us and start your journey to reaching your full potential on the page, and in life.
Both the written, visual, audio, and audiovisual content of this post has been created by and is the intellectual property of Lisa Pfau and PFAU Academic Writing. Please do not replicate any of the above content without our consent. However, please do feel free to share this post and its authorship widely.
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