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Author: Sheena Osman

  • L’importance d’être un rêveur

    Sans rêves, vous pouvez trouver votre vie un peu ennuyeuse. Même si être réaliste dans la vie est quelque chose d’important, il est également bon d’avoir des rêves.

    Vous êtes peut-être à l’école à temps plein tout en ayant deux emplois à temps partiel afin de couvrir vos droits de scolarité et vos dépenses personnelles. Vous commencez peut-être à vous sentir stressé et fatigué. Connaître l’objectif et les buts qui vous amènent à faire tout ça est important. Vous devez terminer vos études afin de réussir dans votre carrière de rêve et vivre le genre de vie que vous voulez. C’est votre rêve, et afin d’en faire une réalité, vous devez faire tout ce que vous pouvez maintenant pour que ce soit accompli dans l’avenir.

    Vous travaillez peut-être de 9h à 5h dans un emploi sans sortie et ne vous sentez pas épanoui. Vous avez atteint un moment dans votre vie où vous sentez qu’il n’y a pas d’avancement de carrière dans votre travail et que vous êtes coincé parce que vous avez des responsabilités et des factures à payer. Qui a le temps de rêver, vous demandez-vous peut-être. Qu’est-ce que ça pourrait vraiment me donner?

    Si vous ne vous permettez pas de rêver, vous commettez vraiment une injustice envers vous-même. Vous avez peut-être décidé à un très jeune âge ce que vous vouliez devenir quand vous seriez grand. Mais maintenant que vous prévoyez d’aller à l’université pour atteindre cet objectif (ou peut-être y êtes-vous déjà), êtes-vous heureux? Vous devez vous demander ce que vous voulez vraiment faire. Qu’est-ce qui vous passionne? Peut-être voulez-vous devenir un danseur ou un écrivain? Qu’est-ce qui vous empêche de poursuivre vos rêves? La réponse est vous-même.

    Oui, il est important de payer ces factures. Mais pourquoi ne pas avoir un emploi à temps plein et poursuivre vos rêves en même temps? Si vous voulez devenir un danseur, prenez des cours de danse pendant vos temps libres pour vous perfectionner dans votre art et entrer en contact avec des personnes dans l’industrie de la danse.

    Si vous voulez devenir un écrivain, commencez à envoyer des emails aux éditeurs de blogues, magazines ou journaux en disant que vous êtes intéressé à contribuer, même sans être payé. De cette façon, vous allez établir des contacts dans l’industrie des médias, vous vous ferez connaître et commencerez à construire un portfolio. Ce ne sont que quelques exemples.

    Vous serez plaisamment surpris de découvrir que vos rêves peuvent devenir réalité. C’est pourquoi il est si important de continuer à rêver – on ne sait jamais ce qui peut arriver.

  • Créer l’horaire universitaire idéal

    Créer l’horaire universitaire idéal peut être un facteur clé quant à votre succès à l’université ou au collège. Une des premières questions que vous devriez vous poser est de savoir si vous prendrez des cours de jour ou de soir. Si vous vous considérez comme un « oiseau de nuit », vous devriez peut être réaliser qu’il serait meilleur de suivre la plus grande partie de vos cours en soirée, quand vous êtes le plus alerte. Toutefois, gardez en tête que si vous prenez des cours tard en soirée, vous devrez sans doute faire vos devoirs le matin. Soyez honnête avec vous-même et demandez-vous si vous allez vraiment vous réveiller pour faire ces travaux. De la même façon, les personnes matinales doivent se poser des questions et vraiment se demander s’ils feront l’effort de se lever afin d’être en cours dès 8h. Un des plus grands défis auquel font face les étudiants de niveau post-secondaire est d’aller en cours même si personne ne les y oblige. Cela devient encore plus difficile lorsque les cours commencent avant même le lever du soleil. Une bonne façon de réussir est de trouver un ami qui partage le malheur de devoir se lever tôt. Vous pouvez faire un serment d’aller en cours ensemble chaque jour et vous encourager l’un l’autre!

    Une autre question importante quant à votre horaire est de savoir si vous voulez avoir tous vos cours en même temps ou si vous voulez les étendre tout le long de la journée. Faire suivre vos cours les uns après les autres est souvent vu comme la pratique la plus efficace, mais elle a aussi ses inconvénients. La plupart des professeurs vous laisseront sortir dix minutes avant la fin de vos cours afin de vous donner le temps de vous rendre au prochain, mais il y en aura toujours un qui insiste pour vous garder jusqu’à la toute fin, ou même après. Vous vous trouverez ainsi dans une course folle à travers le campus, ce qui deviendra rapidement un problème si votre campus est de la taille d’une petite île. Dans ce cas, étaler vos cours serait peut-être mieux. Le problème, ici, est que vous devrez peut-être faire face à « l’heure bizarre ». Il s’agit d’une période de temps qui est trop courte pour faire quelque chose d’utile, mais trop longue pour pouvoir s’asseoir et ne simplement rien faire. En d’autres termes, c’est une perte de temps. Si vous êtes une personne productive, vous serez sans doute capable d’y insérer un peu de travail, mais la plupart des gens passent leur temps à travers le campus, mangent un morceau ou retrouvent le dernier chapitre de leur manga favori.

    Si je peux vous donner un dernier conseil avant de vous laisser, ce serait le suivant : ne vous pliez pas en quatre pour avoir le vendredi libre. Si vous devez vous forcer tout le reste de la semaine de façon gênante, ce jour de liberté de plus n’en vaut pas la peine. Ayez au moins un cours ou deux le vendredi au lieu d’empiler quatre ou cinq cours sur un seul jour.

    À la fin de la journée, faire votre horaire revient à analyser les pour et les contre de chaque facteur et décider ce qui marche pour vous. Très peu de personnes peuvent dire qu’elles ont l’horaire parfait, alors ne paniquez pas si vous ne vous trouvez pas dans les circonstances idéales. Essayez simplement de faire votre possible pour créer un horaire qui maximise vos chances de réussir!

  • The Difference Between a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree

    The Difference Between a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree

    Many people say that an education is the key to a good job, a high income and a good life. That might not always be true, but earning a bachelor’s or a master’s degree is a good idea for anyone who wants to work in professions like education or law. Sometimes a bachelor’s degree is enough, but sometimes a master’s degree is necessary. How can you know how much education to get? Knowing the difference between a bachelor’s and master’s degree can get you started on making a decision.

    How much education you need for your chosen profession depends very much on what level of work you want to do. A Bachelor of Education, for example, is all that most teachers need to work in the classroom. If they want to work as supervisors or school principals, however, they might need to work towards a master’s degree. In fields like English literature, psychology or sociology, a bachelor’s degree is usually only the first step towards further training and rarely leads directly to a job. In programs such as nursing, however, a bachelor’s degree is considered a high level of education. Each field has somewhat different requirements and job possibilities.

    Despite all of these differences, most bachelor’s or master’s programs have some elements in common. Bachelor’s degrees are general introductions to the field and cover a wide variety of topics. Usually, students in these programs take some classes outside their chosen field, at least in the first year or two. A science student might be required to take an English literature or history class, for example, and an English literature student might be required to take a science class.

    Bachelor’s programs might be three years or four years long. Completing these programs normally involves relatively small assignments like research papers, tests, experiments and exams. Students get the information they need mainly through lectures the professor gives during class and through reading the textbooks and other materials, with an occasional student presentation to give others a chance to teach.

    At the master’s level, things begin to change. Most master’s classes use a seminar style, with students giving longer presentations and participating in discussions on each day’s topic. Class size is usually much smaller than at the bachelor’s level, but the assignments are more difficult. One of the biggest assignments is usually the thesis, which is a long paper of anywhere from about thirty to a hundred pages on a topic that the student chooses. Sometimes students can complete another major assignment instead of a thesis, but both choices involve a lot of work.

    If you find studying and research very difficult, a master’s degree might not be right for you. If your chosen career has few job prospects, you might need to consider your options carefully. However, if you are willing to do a lot of hard work, a bachelor’s or master’s degree might be good choices for you.

  • August Scholarships of the Month – Apply Now!

    August Scholarships of the Month – Apply Now!

    Sure, the dog days of summer are in full swing and you’re probably only thinking about what you are going to do with your friends tonight. If you’re heading to college or university starting in September, however, the time is now to apply for your scholarships and bursaries to help fund your education. In many cases, the application process only takes a few minutes. Just think – you’ll have FREE money to help you pay for your tuition, books and lodging, giving you extra breathing room come fall. Now that is truly priceless.

    1. Bill 7 Award – Open to individuals who meet ALL of the following criteria: individuals who are attending a Post-Secondary Educational Institution in the Province of Ontario; who have demonstrated financial need; who are pursuing their FIRST post-secondary program of study; and who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, and/or queer (LGBTTTQ2S). Amount: $2000. Deadline: August 8, 2014.

    2. 2014 Linda Lael Miller Scholarships for Women – Open to female residents of the United States or Canada who are 25 years old or older. Amount: $1000. Deadline: August 29, 2014.

    3. Jeremy Dias Scholarship – Open to Canadian citizens/residents who are high school or CEGEP students entering accredited post-secondary institutions, or students currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution. Amount: Depends on need. Deadline: August 15, 2014.

    4. Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms Essay Contest – This contest is open to those who were students at a Canadian university or college during this past 2013-14 school year (including full-time and part-time students) and to those who will be commencing studies (full-time or part-time) at a Canadian college or university this September 2014. Amount: $250 – $1000. Deadline: September 15, 2014.

    5. Canada Student Grants – Canada Student Grants provide money for college or university that you don’t need to pay back. It is easy to apply for them. These grants are given to students at the beginning and in the middle of the school year. Canada Student Grants are available to students from most provinces and territories except those from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Quebec. These governments have their own programs. Amount: Depending on need/eligibility. Deadline: Generally, your eligibility is assessed automatically when you apply for student loans. Please consult the website for further information.

  • Creating the Ideal College Schedule

    Creating the Ideal College Schedule

    Creating the ideal schedule can be a key factor to your success in university or college. One of the first questions you should ask yourself is whether you should take day classes or night classes. If you consider yourself a “night owl”, you might assume it would be best to take the majority of your classes in the evening when you’re the most alert. However, keep in mind that if you are taking late classes you’re probably going to have to do your homework in the mornings. Be honest with yourself and consider if you’re actually going to wake up on time to get those essays done. Likewise, our early birds need to do some soul-searching and really ask themselves if they’ll make the effort to rise and shine for those 8:00 am classes. One of the biggest challenges that post-secondary students face is going to class when no one is monitoring their attendance. This becomes even more of a challenge when these classes start before the sun even makes an appearance. A good way to overcome this is to find a friend who also shares the misfortune of rising bright and early. The two of you can make a solemn oath to go to class every day and you can serve as encouragement for one another!

    Another important question to ask yourself when designing a schedule is whether you want to stack your classes one after another or spread them out across the day. Stacking classes is often viewed as the more efficient practice but it also has its downfalls. Most professors will let you out of class ten minutes early to get to your next one but you’ll always have that one who insists on holding you to the very end, or perhaps even longer. Then you’ll find yourself making a mad dash across campus, which will quickly become an issue if your campus is the size of a small island. In that case, spreading your classes out a bit may sound more attractive. The trouble here is that you may then find yourself facing “The Awkward Hour”. This is a chunk of time that is too short to do anything useful but too long to sit around doing nothing. In other words, it’s a waste of time. If you’re a productive person, you might be able to squeeze in a bit of work but most people just lounge around campus, grab a bite to eat or catch up on the latest chapter of their favourite manga.

    If I can leave you with one last piece of advice, it’ll be this: Do not bend yourself backwards for Friday’s off.  If you have to inconvenience yourself throughout the rest of the week, the extra day of freedom may not be worth it. At the very least, have a class or two on Friday instead of piling four or five classes on another day.

    At the end of the day, designing your schedule comes down to weighing the pros and cons of each factor and deciding what works best for you. Very few people can claim to have a perfect schedule so don’t panic if you find yourself in less than ideal circumstances. Simply do your best to create a schedule that maximize your chances of succeeding!

  • The Importance of Being a Dreamer

    The Importance of Being a Dreamer

    Without having dreams, you may find that your life is kind of boring. Although being realistic about life is important, it’s good to have dreams as well.

    Maybe you are in school full-time and you work two part-time jobs to cover the costs for school and yourself. You are starting to feel stressed and exhausted. Knowing your overall purpose and goals in doing all of this is important. You need to finish school to get that degree so you can nab your dream career and live the lifestyle that you want. That’s your dream and, in order to make that come true, you need to do whatever it takes now to accomplish that for your future.

    Maybe you are working a 9-5 dead-end job and don’t feel fulfilled in your life. You have reached a point in your life where you feel there is no career growth in your job and you feel you are stuck because you have responsibilities and bills to pay. Who has time to dream, you may ask yourself? What can possibly come of it?

    If you don’t allow yourself to dream, you are truly doing an injustice to yourself. You may have decided at a young age exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up. But now that you are planning to go to university to achieve that goal (or perhaps you are already there), are you happy? You have to ask yourself what is it that you really want to do. What are you passionate about? Maybe you want to be a dancer or a writer. What’s stopping you from pursuing your dreams? The answer is you.

    Yes it’s important to pay those bills. But why not have that full-time job and pursue your dreams on the side? If you want to be a dancer, take some dance classes on the side to perfect your craft and connect with people in the dance industry.

    If you want to be a writer, start emailing editors of blogs, magazines and newspapers and say you are interested in contributing even if it for no pay. This way you will establish contacts in the journalism industry, you can get exposure and you can build your portfolio. These are just a few examples.

    You will be pleasantly surprised to discover that your dreams can become a reality. This is why it’s so important to continue dreaming – you never know what can come out of them.

  • Feeling Lost: How to Pick a Career

    Feeling Lost: How to Pick a Career

    Sometimes in life we feel lost. We feel that we have lost our bearings and that we don’t know who we are or what we want. This is very common among high school and university students. Many high schoolers decide that they do not want to move on to college or university because they do not know what they want to take. This reflects a need for better guidance counselling in schools as well as more funding for vocational training from the government. Currently, a lot of the education students get about careers is passed down from relatives, friends and family. Often students will choose to pursue a career that someone they know does as a way of feeling like they know what they are getting into. This is the safe, but not always best, route.

    Many people decide to wait a year or two before embarking on their next level of education. This can be a wise step, depending on where you are coming from. Another approach is to jump head first into something that you are unsure of, ensuring your can-do attitude is firmly in place. This can work out well, especially if you are going away to university, because it is easy to switch programs after the first year. Plus, this path is much more common than you might think.

    The first step for anyone looking to gain a career orientation is to educate yourself on what jobs are in demand, according to the job market today and the forecasts for the next 5-10 years. You will also want to evaluate your skill set. JobsPeopleDo.com is a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about careers and what will be in demand in the coming decade. Researching your options will allow you to make an informed choice about the job you see yourself doing in the future. It is wise to also ask people who currently work in your profession of choice what their job is like and what kinds of duties are required. Do they enjoy it? Would they recommend it to you? Hearing firsthand accounts will really help you to put your choices into perspective. Good luck!

  • It’s OK to Be a Guy and Love Dancing!

    It’s OK to Be a Guy and Love Dancing!

    The dance industry is not only for females. Over recent years, male dancers have been making a name for themselves and some have even become household names. Dancer/Choreographer turned singer Blake McGrath is a prime example. He was a finalist in the first season of the reality show dance competition So You Think You Can Dance and later starred in the reality show Dance Life following his dance career. He has made a name for himself in Hollywood and has danced for such celebrities as Madonna, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears and has even starred in some TV commercials. He is now a judge and choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

    Let’s not forget about Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Both were famous dancers and choreographers who are pioneers of the dance world – and being male was not a barrier for them.

    There are various dance styles that males have pursued and excelled in, including ballet, hip-hop, jazz, Latin and ballroom. There are many male dancers seen in danced-based reality shows such as Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent and America’s Best Dance Crew, among various others.

    Bellydancing, which is usually a dance genre that is female-dominated, has now seen many males breaking into the industry while taking a masculine approach to this art form. There was a documentary that aired on OMNI Television called Bellydance Man: From Canada to Cairo which followed Edmonton-based bellydancer Viraj Wanigasekera along his journey and the obstacles he faced pursuing a career as a male bellydancer in a female-dominated industry. With his persistence and his talent, he gained respect among peers in the bellydance world as well as from audiences worldwide. He has performed in Toronto, London, Los Angeles, Cairo and Istanbul.

    Gender does not play a role in the dance world. As long as you have the passion, dedication, talent and drive to become a dancer, that’s all that matters. Dance is an art form that can be enjoyed by all.

  • Cultural Pressures

    Cultural Pressures

    From birth, North Americans are subjected to a lot of advertisements and messages that teach our cultural values and tell us what our dreams should be. Whether you are female or male, you will experience pressure throughout your lifetime to behave and make choices that are strongly influenced by cultural values. Girls experience a lot of pressure from the media to be thin, have a perfectly proportioned body, have perfect skin, have thick hair and to generally conform to our cultural ideals of beauty. Boys equally feel this pressure to fit into a predetermined shape of what it is to be a man, including pressure to maintain fitness and muscular tone throughout each stage of life, to have thick hair, to be tanned and to be the embodiment of strength.

    This conditioning is extremely harmful to people who do not or cannot fit the “ideal” shape of cultural beauty. The way a person develops can be made or broken by how one feels they measure up to society’s expectations and the cultural standards for beauty. Unconsciously and consciously, there is a need to fit in. This pressure is especially felt when we are young. Going through changes during adolescence involves growth both physically and mentally. There are so many pressures growing up that we face, including excelling in school and sports, that adding the pressure to fit in with the North American ideals of beauty can be exhausting.

    As you become a young adult, you will notice that you will develop a sense of self and hopefully a sense of purpose. It is important to remember that there is no one else like you on Earth. Celebrate the fact that you are unique and embrace who you are. If you are having trouble with self-esteem, reach out and talk to a friend, parent or even use a resource like Kids Help Phone. Being yourself is the best option!

  • Accept Yourself: Dealing with Body Image

    Accept Yourself: Dealing with Body Image

    People are afraid of their bodies. They avoid mirrors, scales and eye contact with strangers; they are not confident when they walk down the street. Somewhere along the way, they realized that they are not pretty enough, or tall enough, or fit enough – and it is taking over their lives. It has become “cool” to bring yourself down, to shed light on the things you hate about yourself and toil tirelessly in order to get rid of them. This is a destructive habit that you need to break right away.

    The media is one of the biggest culprits of this craze; by presenting us with paper-thin female supermodels and impossibly muscular male icons, these unrealistic ideals become something we feel obliged to live up to. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with the bodies of the people in the media. Every person is special in their own way. The thing is, people come in all shapes and sizes and by asking everyone to conform to a cookie-cutter ideal, the beauty industry is shattering the self-esteem of its subscribers all around the world.

    There is absolutely no fault in looking how you look, nor should you ever feel that way. So what if you hate your freckles or you think your feet are too big? What you pick out as ugly may be someone else’s cup of tea. Diversity is beautiful and it is often our differences that make us stand out from the crowd. We only want what we don’t have, but our bodies are our selves and we’re stuck with them whether we like them or not. Everyone has assets and everyone has flaws – hold your head high and show off yours with pride.

    Body image isn’t only about image, either. Consider your well-being and how comfortable you feel in your own skin. It is important to take care of yourself: while overeating should be avoided and exercise is important, excessive physical activity and calorie counting to the point of obsession is definitely not good for you. Find a balance because, ultimately, your happiness is the most important factor.

    Look at your body in a positive light. Focus on what you like and don’t look to others for visual cues. Your appearance is your identity and you are free to do with it what you like. Why bother emulating someone else when you are unique? You can definitely express yourself using your appearance. If you decide to dye your hair, get a tattoo or start an exercise program, that’s great — but make sure you’re making these decisions for yourself, not just following the leader. If you want to make changes, these changes are up to you and you alone – don’t let others dictate what you should look like or how you should feel about yourself. After all, it is your body.

    Accept yourself for who you are. Respect yourself and expect to be treated accordingly.