My Social Media Journey

Author: Mike Gregor, Peer Advisor

What is social media?  Many of you may simply answer Facebook and Twitter.  I would have answered the same thing one year ago.  Now I know better.  My eyes have been opened to the world of social media.  Now it is time for you to do the same.

Like many of my peers, my social media journey started with Facebook a few years ago.  When I signed up I was connecting with friends and acquaintances left and right.  Most invitations were normal (classmates, coworkers, etc.), some were surprising (Grandpa?) and others were very unique (I currently have a pending invitation from Hanh Nguyen of Pakxe, Laos).  All in all – Facebook was, and is an enriching experience to stay connected with friends.

Twitter was harder for me to feign interest.  How could a 140-character message matter?   I have no interest in the rants of Lady Gaga or Ashton Kutcher.  It took me a little while to learn that pop-singer celebrities were not the only people on Twitter.  I now use the micro-blogging service to stay up-to date with information I find relevant and reliable provided by businesses and professionals around the world.

Currently I am spending my online time researching other social media networks.  I recently became active on LinkedIn – a definite requirement for any serious professional wanting an online presence.  Armed with a detailed and complete LinkedIn profile, I use the service to network with career professionals and post my opinions on discussion boards.  I am presently exploring location-based services like Foursquare or Gowalla, social news sites like Digg or Stumble Upon and online charitable communities like SocialVibe or Care2.  There are an endless number or social media sites to get involved in, but the key is just that – get involved.

At the end of the day the choice is yours.  Do you want your social media experience to be personal, professional or a mix of both?  Do you want to be knowledgeably leveraging social media for your career planning, or just simply be following what Ashton Kutcher or your own friends did last night?  The world of social media is yours for the taking. It can be a harsh world of ‘defriending’ and angry tweets, or a warm environment of effective networking and information sharing. The choice is truly yours.

For more information on how to use social media platforms to market your skills and display your experiences, come take part in the Profile Building and Social Media for Career Building workshop at the Laurier Career Development Centre this month!

University | The Learning Curve of Self-Discovery

Author: Adil Mawani, Peer Advisor

People have often told me, “I am going to be … when I graduate.”  I always ask them, “How do you know?” As a business student, in the last year I have been 100% confident that I will be an Accountant, an Analyst, a Lawyer, a Marketing Director, and many more. Course work alone has not aided me in refining my career direction.

This past year I capitalized on various opportunities to get involved within the school and found that I have abilities I did not think I would have in a hundred years. I was able to speak in front of large audiences, conduct marketing through social media, and I was even able to lead a hundred, possibly more, experienced people to pull off a successful event. It was through the process of being involved in campus clubs that allowed me to arrive at these personal insights.

I recommend all students get involved within the school as there is a ‘buffet of opportunities at our reach and we should take advantage of it, and not take it for granted’ (Tim Penner, President Proctor and Gamble). On campus volunteering not only looks good on your resumé, but more importantly, it is the self learning that transpires from these experiences that are worth a thousand times more than a single course in school (plus you don’t have to pay a tuition fee for that insight).

Remember you are paying for the university EXPERIENCE. Classroom AND volunteer involvement is a winning combination for self discovery that will undoubtedly help you firm up your career direction.  Even though I’m still not completely committed to one particular career path, I can be reassured by the fact that my volunteering (plus networking) means I am proactively working toward refining my path, a path that will not simply dawn on me by sitting in a lecture hall.

Look to the Future Through Volunteering

As the snow quickly melts and thoughts of warmer weather and summer jobs are just around the corner, I took an opportunity from my busy school schedule to reflect back on the past school year.  Typically, the whole ‘University Experience’ consists of classes, extra-circular activities, part-time jobs and hanging out with friends.  However, last year I found something missing from the whole ‘University Experience’.  It was approximately this time last year that I applied for a volunteer position as a Peer Advisor at Laurier’s Career Development Centre.

Over the past school year, I have had the opportunity to work with many fascinating individuals with many different backgrounds.  By listening to each individual tell me about their future goals or dream jobs, it really inspired me to rethink my future career plans.  It seemed that the more I helped others, the more I actually learned about myself.  Not only does volunteering help others, it is self-rewarding and complements your education on a resume.

Volunteering provides an excellent opportunity to learn about a particular career direction while gaining invaluable skills.  However, the best part of volunteering is the chance to actually see if a particular career is really what you expected.  A career can possibly span three to four decades, so why not find out now what you can see yourself doing after completing your education.  It’s not too early to start thinking about a volunteer opportunity for the upcoming school year. I truly believe that volunteering is an important part of the whole ‘University Experience.’

Trevor Belkwell, Peer Advisor

Three Down, One To Go

Three down, one to go

                As I enter my final year of university, I can describe my feelings in three words:  excited, scared and overwhelmed. My feelings of fear began to set in this summer while I was working my first nine to five type job.  I know there are many jobs that are more engaging and creative than the repetitive, unsocial office work I was doing this summer, but I couldn’t help but fear that I might end up in an unfulfilling and monotonous more permanent job position once I graduate.

                Although scared, I’m determined to match my fears with excitement.  I’m going to be a university graduate with various work and volunteer experiences that are going to help me find a meaningful career, and I think that’s exciting! I have the tools, skills and resources to ensure that I won’t end up in a more permanent job position that I don’t like.  As a WLU student and Peer Advisor at the Career Centre, I’m determined to make use of the resources available to help me on my way to an exciting and dynamic career…but what career will that be?

                I’m an English and Global Studies student who truly believes that a degree in the arts prepares graduates for a very wide variety of career options.  Not only are there a variety of career options, but a variety of work environment, potential working hours and working locations (the whole world!) to choose from.  I’m very excited to have a world of options before me, but I am certainly overwhelmed as well.

Nicole Wray, Peer Advisor, Student Career Leader Program

Wilfrid Laurier University, Career Development Centre