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.
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 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. 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.
Emily did not start out her education knowing that she would one day become a minister, but her education has helped her in ministry. Emily completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in English and Classics at Mount Allison University, followed by a Masters of English in Print Culture from Simon Fraser University. After a couple years of exploration and reflection, she felt the call to the Ministry and enrolled in a Masters of Divinity at Emmanuel College, becoming an ordained Minister in 2015. Her original love of reading and writing is now expressed in reflecting on Biblical and other spiritual texts and writing prayers and sermons for church services and materials.
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Can you tell us a little bit more about your journey to realizing that you felt called to become a minister?
For me, vocation is a calling. It is a voice that’s calling you toward something – certain work or a certain purpose. In order to become a minister, part of the process that denomination asks you to take part in is being clear that this is a CALLING, rather than just an idea of something that you could do off a list of many things. It’s a fairly significant commitment that you make, and most ministers that you talk to will say that wasn’t an easy decision. You don’t just sort of fall into this.
So, originally I thought that I was going to be a professor and go into academia. I did an Honors degree and Master’s degree, and I was expecting to complete a PhD in English Literature. However, I began to realize that I was not feeling satisfied with the idea of the work that I’d be doing for the rest of my life. As much as I enjoyed reading and writing my whole life, it wasn’t the only thing that I wanted to do. I felt that I wanted something more meaningful. I wanted to find a way to make an impact on people’s lives.
Most people who go into ministry have a call story. My call story is fairly direct. When I realized that I wasn’t going to continue in academia, I spend a lot of time thinking about what can I do. And one day, when I was asking this question, I felt that I heard a voice, not an actual literal voice, but a fully formed sentence that rose up from within me. For me, I understood that as God speaking to me because it felt both like a completely new idea of going into ministry, but also something that felt deeply familiar and deeply right. I spent some time in very careful reflection to make sure this wasn’t just a passing idea, but something that I was called to do. I spent some time discerning and traveling and working in a church. Then, I began the discernment process in the United Church, which consists of going before a discernment committee to ask and answer a bunch of different questions. Then, I went to back to school to study theology, and eventually was ordained a minister in 2015.
Do you have any advice for students on how to plan for schoolwork at home during the pandemic?
Back when I was a student, I used a technique called Parking Lots. I first started using this technique when I was writing essays. The parking lot is the place where you put any ideas you have that are unsure where they fit into the essay yet. Or, if you wrote something and realized it did not belong where you put it, you could copy and paste that whole paragraph or set of sentences into the parking lot. Similar to the actual parking lots, it gives you a place to store things in case you need them again. If you figure out where it belongs eventually, the work is not lost, so you do not have to spend time worrying about it or thinking about it.
The parking lot approach can also be applied to the things going on in our lives too. On days when I am not working, one of the strategies I sometimes use depending on the workload I have, is starting a parking lot. This is usually just a page in my planner or just a scrap of paper, and then anything that pops up in my mind goes onto that. It can be, for instance, follow up with Lisa, or finish writing that prayer for Sunday. Once I’ve got those things written down, I know I will not forget them. This helps me to clear my mind and focus on the present, so that I can enjoy my days off fully. In addition, as soon as I am working again, I’ll be able to just look at that list and add it to the to-do list for the day.
For students who are religious, or perhaps spiritual, what would you say is something that would be beneficial to their daily spiritual practices?
I think often times we have a very narrow idea of what can be a spiritual practice. It might be meditation or prayer or reading scripture, but we sometimes miss all of the other things that can be spiritual practices. For instance, one of the things that is a good spiritual practice for me personally is going for a walk. The opportunity to move, be outside, see the world, not talk to anyone, and have space to reflect on what’s happening around or inside of me really helps me to stay grounded.
Intentional breathing is another option. Intentional breathing does not have to be as long as meditation. For people who may not find many meditations meaningful, they might appreciate doing a few minutes, or even seconds of intentional breathing. Intentional breathing can be something as simple as breathing in for five counts, then pause for three counts, and the breath out for seven counts. If you repeat that three or four times throughout the day or any other time when things happening just start to feel a bit too much, it can help you to recenter. What it does is it grounds you into where you are. It brings air, and oxygen into your body and nourishes you, so that you can better cope with the stresses around you.
Recommended Books and Resources
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus & the Heart of Contemporary Faith by Marcus J. Borg
Speaking Christian: Why Christian Words Have Lost Their Meaning and Power―And How They Can Be Restored by Marcus J. Borg
The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
Thank you, Emily, 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 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.
Janelle Lewis is a social worker in the Toronto area who has experience working with vulnerable populations. While jobs in the sciences are sometimes considered to be “practical” an arts degree provides skills and opportunities, which can be used for careers that make meaningful differences to the community.
Over the past two years, Janelle has worked as a Program Resource Worker within the Regent Park community, where she manages intensive cases in supportive housing and provides life skills training and interventions to those experiencing mental health struggles.
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What inspired you to get into social work?
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The first thing would be the area that I grew up in as a child and the second thing would be coming from a working-class family. So, to further elaborate, the area that I grew up in, it was predominantly an area that had a lot more crime than other parts of Toronto and it was home to a lot of working-class, immigrant families. And at the time when I was a child, there was a shortage of social services. So, that definitely made me think about how I could contribute to my community. Just seeing my parents struggle made me think about what I could do for people who are also living in poverty or living in low income, and just seeing how I can make a better impact on them.
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What has been the most meaningful part of your career so far?
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So, currently, where I work in Regent Park, I work with those who experience mental health issues. I would say just hearing a thank you and how I’ve helped them, is honestly the most meaningful part of my career. A lot of my residency experience anxiety and paranoia, and just seeing where they’ve come at the beginning of when we started working together until a few years later and how they’ve developed skills and coping strategies and they’re stabilized and much more independent. As an outreach worker, I work with a lot of people who experience poverty and homelessness. So, for them to share their story about how they got there and the struggles and the struggles that they’re experiencing. It definitely is so meaningful for them to find some sort of comfort or trust to share that story.
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What are some of the challenges of being a social worker?
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I mean, within the social work profession, it can be a very heavy and emotional job just because we’re experiencing a lot of stressful, traumatic situations. Number one would be taking my work home with me. I’ve gotten a lot better at this where I say okay if I end at five o’clock, that’s it. I’m going to be in the present moment, and I’m going to go home. But sometimes I do hear some very difficult stories. And I’m a very sensitive person. So, after hearing some difficult stuff, or just maybe seeing a crisis that I was assisting with, and going home with that I just sometimes need time to reflect on what happened. The second challenge that I would say is wanting to do more with me that people are experiencing homelessness. I want to do more. I wish I could provide housing, I wish I could spend a little extra more time with my residents who are experiencing isolation. But at the same time, I have to remind myself that sometimes you can only do so much.
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What is the process of becoming qualified as a social worker?
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There are so many different ways of becoming a registered social worker. I attended George Brown College for the Social Service Worker programme, which is a two-year programme. And the reason why I decided to go to George Brown College rather than University is that I wasn’t exactly sure whether social work was the career I wanted to go into. I felt that it was very daunting and scary committing for years and to a degree that I wasn’t exactly sure about and it made me feel better knowing George Brown College that they provide placement for both years. So, once I graduated from George Brown, I transferred to York, and I did a double major. So, I double majored in sociology and social work. If you have your bachelor’s in social work, you can stop there and you’re asked to sign up as a registered social worker, but then sometimes people want to continue their education. So, for me, I’m going back to school for my Master’s in social work.
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Thank you, Janelle, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!
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Book Mentioned in the Episode
The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
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Missed the podcast? Listen here:
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For more advice about professional development and 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.
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 interview Janelle Lewis, a Program Resources Worker in the Regent Park community of Toronto and volunteer with vulnerable populations.
HIGHLIGHTS
Janelle’s reasons for pursuing social work
Challenges and rewards of being a social worker
The process of becoming a social worker
Attending grad school in the fall
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To get more help with professional development and writing, book a 20 minute discovery call 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.
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:
_
_
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.
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 interview, Danielle Law, PhD, and Associate Professor in Psychology and Youth and Children’s Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, about her journey in academia and her thoughts on finding a career as a recent graduate.
HIGHLIGHTS
An insider’s look into the life and work of a busy academic
Advice and things to consider for undergraduate students who want to pursue a PhD
How to find the right topic of research that match the interests of students
How to adjust from undergraduate studies to graduate studies
How can a graduate degree help with career advancement and flexibility
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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 year, like this one, that would be helpful to students who are trying to find work during this uncertain period.
We interview, Sarah Lang, a certified coach, who supports people to dream big, launch new projects, and bring creative visions to life, about how to boost your academic resilience during COVID-19.
HIGHLIGHTS
The importance of resilience in finding your dream career
The link between resilience and success
Advice on preparing for the Fall term in the midst of the pandemic
Tools and resources for students to boost their resilience
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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 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.
Megan has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design, as well as a Master of Art in Museum and Gallery Studies from Kingston University in London, England. She has over ten years of experience in the Fine Arts industry, including working as a Gallery Assistant at Lausberg Contemporary, Head Exhibition Designer at Quaycrafts, and Project Manager at Pursuit Inc. She is passionate about bringing people together over collective values, beliefs, and passions, amplifying the voices of charities/non-profits through the most powerful medium she knows of: ART.
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It seems like you have a clear vision of who you are and who you want to be. How did you know what you wanted to do?
To be honest, I did not always know what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. It was a journey of self-discovery and it took a lot of patience, consistency, practice, and time. When I was also a young adult, I had a lot of uncertainty about my future and I felt the need to have all the answers, but I just did not have them. I have been interested in art from a young age. It was the first thing that I was ever got good at, so I was able to gain satisfaction from art as it fulfilled me in a way that nothing else does. I always knew that I want to work in the Arts field; however, it took me several years to figure out what that work would be. I initially wanted to be an art practitioner and a painter. I also had interests in becoming a tattoo artist, but it did not really necessarily pan out as I planned. I tried out different types of work and slowly gained more experience and built my resume. The various experiences helped with my process of self-discovery and developing my passions. Through starting my own exhibitions and working on my different projects, I figured out what I enjoy. Eventually, I quit my full-time job, built a team, and started my own non-profit organization.
What traits would you say someone needs to do something like start and run a non-profit organization?
Our organization is slightly different from traditional non-profits as we strive to educate, inform, and inspire audiences to challenge the stigma associated with mental health, homelessness, and addiction instead of building a shelter to help people on the front lines. For me, the key is to figure out exactly how we add value, which has been a very long and arduous process. I think building a base of concepts and proving their value is critical for non-profit organizations. You should be able to recognize the target demographic and critical feedback to learn from people’s responses. The feedback is from both the community that you are trying to serve, as well as the donors or sponsors that you are trying to get funding from.
Good communication is also crucial. You need to be able to communicate your organization’s values. What is your pitch? If you were to sell somebody on your idea in two minutes or less, can you do it? It has taken a long time for me to be able to build that and I think I am still working through it. It can be such a terrifying thing to put your heart and soul out there for everybody to criticize and possibly provide feedback on. If they do not like it, you may start to have internalized fears and doubts about yourself. However, I think as long as you build yourself up and recognize that your value is not reliant on somebody else’s opinion, rather, your value comes from within then everything else is secondary.
Running a non-profit is no easy task. What do you do to establish a clear work-life balance and prevent burnout?
I think a work-life balance really comes from listening to yourself and getting to know how the things in your environment impact you. I schedule time in my life for my work and myself, and I make the time for myself non-negotiable. For example, one of the things that I do now is on Wednesdays, no matter how important the person or the call is, I will not schedule a call on that day. I allow Wednesdays, which is in the middle of the week, to take time off if I need it. Sometimes I will work through a full Wednesday focused on my work with no calls or emails because it gives me a moment in the middle of my week to reflect on how I feel. I would ask myself: “do I feel like I’m mentally okay?” Sometimes I take the full Wednesday off if I feel that I really need that time off. It is just about listening intuitively to yourself. There are times in your life when work is going to demand more of you. There are also times when the family is going to take priority over work. So, even though I try to maintain this work-life balance, I think life is always going to dictate otherwise and you just need to be responsive when those things happen. I believe that the more that you can make time for yourself, the better you are going to be at work; and, the more focused you are going to be at work, the better you are able to show up for the people in your life.
What lessons have you learned over the years that you think have helped to become a more confident leader and role model for other young women?
I would say that I am fairly confident now, but I think that comes from just having a sense of value within myself and feeling like I have value. I understand that it is a long process for a lot of people. I think one key lesson I learned is to spend more time with myself and try all kinds of different things. I think confidence really comes from self-love. You should take time to appreciate yourself as we often let negative thought patterns repeat themselves. I recognized that when I started meditating. I was totally unaware of it before. Over time, you start to value yourself, and the more you value yourself, the more confidence you are going to have. As a result, even if someone may try to talk down to me, belittle me, or make me feel less, I can respond confidently say: “No, thank you, this isn’t for me.” You should build a sense of self-worth and have enough belief in yourself, your abilities, and your value as an individual that other opinions don’t bring you down. Also, it is important to recognize that not everybody needs to like you and that is okay. You should not allow the opinions of other people to dictate your own self-worth or value.
Recommended Books and Resources
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Thank you, Megan, for sharing the excellent advice with us and our readers!
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_
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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