Why you shouldn’t pursue graduate school

March 16 2010. TalentEgg Incubator

With our economy just coming out of a recession, many people think a Masters degree will help them become more employable when the work force becomes more stable.

Although most jobs now require some post-secondary education, sometimes if you get too much education, your job prospects may actually be hindered instead of improved.

MBA programs

There are some schools that offer MBA programs which require little-to-no full-time work experience before being accepted into the program. Although these programs teach you how to be a manager in a company, you may find that you don’t have the work experience to be taken seriously when you apply for management jobs.

While it is true that some schools offer co-ops as part of their program, the amount of work experience you can gain here is minimal: 12 months at most, and often split between two or three different positions. How can you, a new grad with a total of one full year of work experience, compare to someone applying for the same management position who has been in the workforce for much longer?

Many employers will take someone with more experience than someone fresh out of school, especially since an MBA usually connotes starting with a higher salary.

Jobs in academia

One of my favourite profs told me he is the poster boy for why you shouldn’t stay in school: even though he finished his PhD more than five years ago, he still hasn’t been able to get a tenure-track position.

Unfortunately, his story is not unique. As it stands right now, there are very few positions in academia for PhD graduates, even though the number of university applicants has been steadily increasing in Ontarioas well as the other provinces and territories.

Additionally, getting a PhD is a long and arduous process, where you are forced to live quite frugally until you finish your degree. If you even finish it, that is: many students do not.

What you should focus on instead of graduate school

There are two main things you can focus on as a student or new graduate that will help you on your job hunt over graduate school: gaining work experience, and developing a personal brand.

If you have a variety of work experience under your belt by the time you graduate, you can utilize the skills you’ve learned when you apply for entry-level work.

Students and new grads often overlook the importance of creating a personal brand, but it has become an integral part of the business world for nearly two decades (not that any of us would have been old enough to create a personal brand in kindergarten). When you apply for a job—any job—there are lots of personal branding techniques you can make use of that will help you on your quest.

Life is a circus: Q&A with a nouveau cirque performer

February 26 2010. TalentEgg Incubator.

While growing up, many of us threatened our parents with running away and joining the circus if we didn’t get our way.

For Tiffany Warden, a world religions and East Asian studies student at the University of Toronto, the circus doesn’t mean the big top with clowns, tigers and bike stunts. For her, the circus means contemporary circus(also known as le nouveau cirque), akin to Cirque de Soleil.

Tiffany trains and works out of Toronto School of Circus Arts, and tours with its production company Cirque Sublime.

I recently asked her some questions about what it is like juggling her studies and a career in the circus.

Q. Tell us about teaching at the Toronto School of Circus Arts.

A. I teach there two to three times a week, mostly doing what’s called “working the board” on the flying trapeze rig. I’m the one who fishes for the safety lines and hooks the next flyer up and gives the odd tip before they take off the board again.

I also work a lot of corporate groups, which is usually using circus arts to help build morale and team spirit within a business group, or to congratulate the team on a particular job well done.

Q. What is it like being a performer for Cirque Sublime? How often do you go on tour and what do you do?

A. Performing is the most fun aspect of being in the whole circus world, and I work as hard as I do at my various jobs in order to be able to continue to do it! Tours are generally one to three weeks long at a time (because while we’re away, classes at the school can’t run) and happen two or three times a year.

I perform a duo hoop act with my good friend Laura (two girls, one hoop) and I’m debuting an aerial rope act later this month as a solo piece.

Q. Why did you decide to complete your degree part-time while simultaneously working?

A.Not because it’s easy! Circus is like dance or something where you only have a small window of time in which your body can do the things demanded of it by the job. If I had waited to finish my degree, I would have missed some of the best learning years of my circus career. Once you hit late 20s-early 30s, it’s hard to gain things like flexibility; usually a person can only maintain what they have.

Q. Considering all of the things you do (Tiffany also designs costumes for cosplay and renaissance fairs, models, and works another part-time job)–for work or for fun–what would you eventually like to do career-wise?

A. Circus, for sure, is what I want to do, for as long as I can do it. When I start to break down (and everybody does eventually) I wouldn’t mind seeing if I could meld circus with some form of burlesque.

I would also love to combine cosplay and the anime convention scene with circus, creating a couple acts based around certain characters from certain animes, dressing up as them and performing to music from the show. I think fans would eat it up, and I could basically get to go to every convention for free and then some. I may actually try this at the upcoming Anime North here in Toronto.

Q. Anything else I left out you want to add?

A. Just that I was always the super awkward girl at the back of the dance class, so if I can make money doing this, there’s hope for everyone!

What your email signature says about you

February 19 2010. TalentEgg Incubator.

Students and new grads unknowingly commit a lot of email faux pas and sometimes we just need a little bit of help.

Although you may already know the basics of email etiquette (using punctuation, having an appropriate username, not writing in all caps, etc.), have you ever thought about what your email signature, or lack thereof, says about you?

Gone are the days when you can have a bunch of emoticons, an image or two, 16 colours, or a favourite quotation as your email signature. Everyone should have an email signature, but you should be aware of the impression yours gives off.

You use email to talk to classmates, professors, teaching assistants, employers and potential employers, and you need a signature that reflects who you are, what you doand how you can be contacted.

But why do you need a signature in the first place? It helps people contact you. Think of it as a little business card that is attached to the end of each and every email you send.

What to include:

You want something short but at the same time gives the respondent the information they require. You should at least include your full name and your email address. You may also wish to consider:

• Phone number
• Professional title and company (if applicable)
• Website
• Social networking contacts (Twitter, LinkedIn)
• A graphic
• Appearance

Not all email clients accept colour and images, so if you choose to include HTML or an image, be aware of the fact it may not be visible to all people.

If you opt to include a graphic, make sure it’s related to you in some way. The information in your signature should be listed on as few lines as possible. You can use a colon (:) or pipes (|) to separate the information.

Here is an example:

A. Student
Founder | A Student Solutions
555-555-5555 | astudent@astudent.com | http://www.websiteurl.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/twittername | LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/linkedinname

If you are a student without a specific job title, you can also include information on your program and institution. This will give the recipient of your email a little more information about you. This is especially true if you are in a program that has a lot of direct-entry possibilities after graduation.

It could look like this:

A. Student
Program Discipline, Year # | Institution Name
555-555-5555 | astudent@school.ca | http://www.websiteurl.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/twittername | LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/linkedinname

Regardless of your level of education and what you are doing for work at the moment, your email should include a signature. It is a marketing tool that many people overlook when trying to develop their personal brand.

How you can prepare now so you have a job come April

January 15 2010. Globe Campus.

Many students don't realize that getting a job for the summer (or in the case of upcoming grads, their first "real job") means preparing months in advance.

Ideally, you should have already started your job hunt by now, but if you haven't, here are some tips to help you kick-start the process.

Start looking

You can't get a job if you don't start looking because most of us aren't lucky enough to have jobs fall into our laps. There are all kinds of ways you can search for a job, including through your school's career services centre andrecruitment events, and websites that focus on entry-level positions, likeTalentEgg.

Prep your résumé

No matter where you're applying, you will need to create a unique résumé and cover letter for each job.

The hiring manager will know what a generic résumé (or application email) looks like; they have undoubtedly received them in the past and other not-so-savvy applicants will use them in the future. This is one of the many pet peeves for recruiters.

In order to make your application stand out, ensure your résumé is catered specifically to the company you are applying to by using language found in the job description and on the company website to assist you.

It may also be worthwhile to try different résumé types, such as a Career Launching Résumé, or an achievement-based résumé. Once you've got a draft written, make sure it goes through a couple of edits by yourself, friends, family, and professionals, if you have the resources to do so.

Write a cover letter

All applications need a cover letter, whether they state it or not. If you do not submit a cover letter with your application, your résumé will likely end up in the trash. Just like your résumé, make sure you edit, edit, edit!

Check your digital footprint

Almost everyone leaves some kind of digital footprint due to all of the social networking sites available, and this can be detrimental to your job hunt if you aren't careful.

If you search my name on Google, it shows up 3.3 million times. Of course, I am not the only Danielle Lorenz in existence. Facebook tells me there are 22 people with the same name as me; however I am the only one who has attended McMaster (at least so far).

Nevertheless, I've taken strides to make sure my Facebook account won't impact my professional life and have done the same with other social networking sites that I use.

Consider utilizing social networking

Although some social networking sites can be detrimental to your job hunt, there are some that may be beneficial. Experts suggest that Twitter can be used to reach target groups.

Other people say that LinkedIn is a site that can help you find a job. LinkedIn functions like a mixture between an online résumé and Facebook, where your contact list contains people who know you and your work ethic.

Keep your family out of your search

In the end, your ability to find a job rests on how much effort YOU put into it. Parents of Gen Y kids have been deemed "helicopter parents" because of their tendency to be over-involved in our lives. Make sure that your parents aren't trying to help you get a job, because in the end it will only be detrimental to your search.

Valentines Day 2010

February 13 2010. MacInsiders.

With Valentine's Day less than a day away, some people have different responses than others: some are scoffing the holiday, others are eagerly looking forward to it, while others are in a sheer panic. Which one of these three are you feeling right now?

Interestingly enough, Valentine's Day has a much different history than you would think. It was originally a fertility ritual involving blood and sacrifice. Click here to read an archived MacInsiders article about the origins of the holiday. Since then, the holiday has obviously changed a lot!

Recent studies suggest that there is a "science" behind love, which makes us feel the way we do when we are with our significant other. From blood rituals to hormones to dating. Very, interesting!

Many couples spend the day or evening with each other celebrating their relationship. Like anyrelationship you have, maintaining one with a partner takes work.

We're students, so sometimes big, expensive dates aren't really possible. It's more about the time you spend with your partner, than what you do. There are lots of possibilities for inexpensive dates, sometimes you just have to be a little bit creative. Perhaps one of the best ideas is to stay in and do things together, like cook dinner and watch a bunch of love stories with some popcorn.

No matter what you choose to do this Valentine's Day, remember to protect yourself and your partner: no glove, no love (or another witty slogan which encourages you to practice safe sex)!

What are you doing this Valentine's Day? Are you celebrating with your partner, or are you celebrating an anti-Valentine's Day with friends? OR, is Valentine's Day just like any other day for you?

The real history behind Valentine’s Day

February 8 2010. Launch Magazine.

Valentine’s Day has not always been full of mushy stuff.

There was a time, long ago, when certain days of the year had meanings to them that had nothing to do with consumerism, buying happiness and greeting cards.

The Hallmark holiday is a recent invention, with Hallmark cards and the creative expression business not yet a century old. Personally, I think Valentine’s Day is the worst of the Hallmark holidays. If someone really cares for you, I hope they would choose to show their affection more than one day each year.

Like many Judeo-Christian holidays, Valentine’s Day started out a pagan tradition.

In Rome, the Feast of Lupercalia occurred on February 15^th , and was a celebration honouring Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. This date was considered to be the beginning of spring and when birds would find their mates for the year.

During this festival, unmarried women would have their names written down and all unmarried men in the village would draw a name, thereby become the women’s partners during the festival (some other sources claim it lasted for the rest of the year). To assert their masculinity, the men ran around nearly naked through the streets.

In addition to this, blood from sacrificed animals would be spilled in the streets in order to prevent wolves from coming into the fields, but also as a fertility aid for women who wished to conceive. This festival was outlawed in the fifth century. Interestingly, it has a modern incantation in the City of Edmonton.

During the third century, the Emperor Claudius II believed if his soldiers were married they would not want to leave their wives, which is why he prohibited his men from being married. A priest named Valentine would go about secretly marrying the soldiers, fulfilling their desires to be wed.

Valentine could not understand the pagan belief system and remained a devout Christian for all of his life. At one point, Valentine was caught and then killed for his crimes. It is thought that we are celebrating his death on the 14th of February.

In order to gain more supporters for the slowly-growing Christian faith at that time, politicians and figureheads then amalgamated the two days into one. As Christianity started to dominate and Paganism declined, a more romantic view of the holy day began to take place. The first connection between romantic love and Valentine’s Day was not until the 14th century, when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem about Richard II and Anne’s engagement. The idea of the holiday being based on romantic love began to increase, with mentions of it in Hamlet and other literary works.

It was not until the mid-19th century that the Valentine’s Day as we know it (with cards) started to occur. Since then, there have been the additions of the exchanging flowers, gifts and, more recently, jewellery.

Personally, I think the third century celebration is way cooler than the present-day one. But I’m not always the most traditional person…