Slowing Down Time

By: Ying Ying (Cam) Luo, Peer Advisor

Coming towards the end of the year, it is the time to create some New Year’s resolutions while reflecting back on the past year. Going through a busy semester, I have an ambitious goal for next year, which is to slow down the time. I know it is actually possible, especially after I read an interesting article, ‘Time Flies: Here’s How to Slow Down Time’, written by Jessica Stillman (http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/how-to-make-your-days-feel-longer.html).

Jessica says, “in order to slow down the time, the key is to keep adding newness to our brains or bring in new stimulus to our lives.” Does it sound quite counter-intuitive for you? To make a day feel longer, in our common sense, it would be doing nothing during a day; but actually it is the opposite. Jessica points out five tricks to make us feel we have more time in our days: keep learning, visit new places, meet new people, try new activities, and be spontaneous – with all of these tips leading us to have a more productive and meaningful day. Some of these tricks can really work well with job searching where you can always get something new out of it.

– Keep learning
Check out the Career Centre’s online and in-centre resources, you will learn something new related to career fields of interest. As you process all this information, the conscious learning process will make you feel more fulfilled.

– Visit new places & meet new people
What can be a better opportunity than Job Fair on February 5th, 2014 for you to visit a new place and meet new people? The Job Fair will bring in new stimulus to our daily life, since we will have the opportunities to network with people from all different industries.

– Try new activities
I always regard volunteering as an incredible way to try out new activities and build up new skills. Paying attention to the new training and skills from different tasks, you will realize how not only longer your days will become – but they will be all the more meaningful.

Gap Year? No Way! An Embrace Year? Sounds Good!

By: Amaryllis Jones, Peer Advisor

The semester is quickly coming to an end and many 4th year students find themselves scrambling to land the perfect job or be accepted to the best institution for post-graduate studies. But what we fail to realize is that the best decision may be to take a B-R-E-A-K.

Why is it that the societal norm of “success” is to…

a) Graduate and find a job
b) Graduate and continue on to further education

I have grown up being told by my family, instructors and mentors that taking a gap year (aka a year off) can be more detrimental. Well, I beg to differ. There is an endless amount of benefits to taking some time off after graduation to soul-search, define what your goals are, and reflect on the value of your own personal achievements thus far. I read a fantastic article written by Rosemary Counter at Maclean’s ( http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/02/12/mind-the-gap-2/ )
that examined the perception that a gap year can be detrimental in the eyes of employers. She points out the positives of a gap year, especially for Generation Y’s. Taking the time to explore your options not only allows you to ensure that you are making the best decision for YOU, but can permit you the luxury of time to broaden your perspective of the working world.

While we are on the topic, I would like to express my dislike of the terminology ‘gap year’. To me, a gap symbolizes a void or intentional delay. But a year off (if used wisely) can be extremely valuable in terms of exploring careers and yourself through volunteering, travelling and talking to professionals in multiple fields and industries. Not to mention the chance to create a differentiation factor that could set you apart from other graduates across Canada! So instead, let’s call it the ‘Embrace Year’!

Never rush to make a hasty decision! Take the time to check out this short video about some of the services at the Career Centre that can help you understand how to begin your career exploration process effectively. A process that may in fact warrant a year off after your undergraduate degree to do effectively: http://tinyurl.com/p9fc5oq