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Author: Susan Huebert

  • Métier de rêve : Joueur d’hockey

    Plusieurs personnes rêvent de devenir une célèbre star du sport, mais ce n’est pas tout le monde qui arrive à réaliser ce rêve. Est ce que vous avez déjà eu envie de devenir une star dans un sport tel que le hockey? Une athlète canadienne appelée Hayley Wickenheiser s’est fait connaître pour ses incroyables habiletés athlétiques et pour son travail en aidant les autres. Comme d’autres joueurs de hockey, elle a travaillé dur à son sport tout en essayant d’équilibrer cela avec le reste de sa vie.

    Devenir un joueur de hockey professionnel demande une combinaison de talent et de travail. Hayley Wickenheiser a découvert ses habiletés athlétiques tôt. Elle a grandi à Shaunavon, en Saskatchewan, où elle est devenue habile à différents sports, comme le hockey et le softball. Elle a commencé à jouer au hockey pour le Championnat du Monde des Femmes quand elle avait 15 ans, dans l’équipe nationale féminine du Canada. L’équipe a remporté sept médailles d’or au cours des années suivantes. Hayley a ensuite joué au hockey dans des équipes masculines en Finlande et en Suède, et elle a remporté des médailles d’or et d’argent lors de plusieurs Jeux Olympiques. Elle est maintenant reconnue comme étant l’une des meilleures athlètes du monde.

    Pour la plupart des athlètes, le temps passé à pratiquer leur sport chaque année est relativement court parce qu’il s’agit d’un travail saisonnier. Toutefois, ils passent beaucoup de temps pendant le reste de l’année à s’entraîner et à se garder en bonne santé. Ils courent, soulèvent des poids, nagent, font du vélo et continuent à pratiquer leurs compétences. Ils essaient de se garder en forme en mangeant bien et en évitant tout ce qui pourrait les rendre malades. Ils restent forts afin de pouvoir bien jouer.

    Une carrière dans les sports n’est généralement pas très longue, et la plupart des athlètes changent de carrière autour de trente ans. Quelques athlètes doivent abandonner leur sport à cause de blessures, mais la plupart l’abandonnent à cause de leur âge, quand ils n’ont plus l’énergie qu’il faut pour répondre aux exigences du sport. Hayley Wickenheiser a continué dans le sport professionnel plus longtemps que d’autres athlètes, mais elle est aussi en train de se préparer en vue d’une autre carrière, après avoir fini de jouer au hockey. En 2013, elle a reçu un diplôme en kinésiologie de l’Université de Calgary, qui l’aidera si elle travaille à aider les autres athlètes à mieux jouer.

    À part le sport et ses études, Hayley a travaillé dans d’autres domaines pendant plusieurs années. Elle travaille avec plusieurs groupes qui encouragent les filles à faire du sport, elle travaille aussi avec un groupe qui achète des moustiquaires pour les personnes qui vivent dans des pays qui ont des problèmes avec une maladie mortelle appelée le paludisme (malaria). Hayley a voyagé en Afrique pour travailler avec l’organisme de bienfaisance qu’elle a créé, Right to Play. Sa vie personnelle est également occupée, depuis qu’elle doit s’occuper de son fils en plus de tout ce qu’elle fait. Elle est déjà bien connue pour ses compétences en hockey, mais les gens la reconnaissent aussi pour ses œuvres de charité.

    Êtes-vous bon au hockey? Si vous pratiquez vos compétences et faites partie des équipes locales, vous serez peut-être en mesure de faire du hockey votre carrière, un jour.

  • Dream Job: Hockey Player

    Dream Job: Hockey Player

    Many people dream of being a famous sports star when they grow up, but not everyone achieves that dream. Have you ever wanted to become a star in a sport like hockey? A Canadian athlete named Hayley Wickenheiser has become well known for her amazing athletic abilities and for her work in helping others. Like other hockey players, she has worked hard at her sport while also balancing it with the rest of her life.

    Becoming a professional hockey player takes a combination of talent and hard work. Hayley Wickenheiser discovered her athletic abilities early. She grew up in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, where she became skillful at several different sports, including hockey and softball. When she was fifteen years old she started playing hockey at the Women’s World Championships as part of the Canadian National Women’s Team. The team won seven gold medals over the next years. Hayley later played on men’s teams in Finland and Sweden, and she has won gold and silver medals at several Olympic Games. She is now known as one of the best athletes in the world.

    For most athletes, the time they spend on playing their sport every year is fairly short because the work is seasonal. However, they spend a lot of time during the rest of the year on training and keeping themselves healthy. They run, lift weights, swim, cycle, and continue to practice their skills. They try to keep themselves healthy by eating good food and avoiding anything that might make them sick. They keep themselves strong so that they can play well.

    A career in sports is not usually very long, and most athletes move on to other jobs by the time they are about thirty years old. Some athletes have to leave sports because of injuries, but most of them leave because of age, when they no longer have the energy to keep up with the demands of the sport. Hayley Wickenheiser has continued in professional sports longer than many other athletes, but she is also preparing for a different career after she finishes playing hockey. In 2013, she received a science degree in kinesiology from the University of Calgary, which will help her if she works to help other athletes play better.

    Besides her sports and her studies, Hayley has been working in several other areas. She works with several groups that encourage girls to get into sports, and she also works with a group that buys mosquito nets for people in countries that have trouble with a deadly disease called malaria. Hayley has traveled to Africa to work with the charity that she started, Right to Play. Her personal life is also busy, since she is looking after her son in addition to everything else that she does. She is already well known for her hockey skills, but people also recognize her for this charitable work.

    Are you good at playing hockey?  If you practice your skills and become part of local teams, you might someday be able to make hockey your career.

  • Recognizing Your Skills and Talents

    Recognizing Your Skills and Talents

    In every family, school, club, workplace or association there are always those people who excel at something ridiculously hard, leaving you scratching your head wondering, “How are they so good at that?” For those people, it’s as simple as recognizing their talents and using them effectively.

    Most of us are more skilled then we realize, and unfortunately for us we do not use our skills and abilities to our advantage. This could be because we don’t know what they are or simply undervalue them. In our society, a blatant boisterous skill is most valued; this makes it hard sometimes to discern our skills and talents. The underestimated value of our talents is why so many feel so generic, desperately wanting to be a name brand.

    The drive to be great and be acknowledged as such resides strongly within us. The only problem with this is that most of us have no clue how to accomplish that. Surprisingly enough, the first steps to becoming great aren’t all that hard. It really boils down to recognizing your skills and talents and then finding the best way to utilize them. This can be accomplished by following four steps:

    Step 1. Take a few minutes to think about and then write down the things that you and other people have told you that you are really good at. Just to be clear, it doesn’t have to be something that people would necessarily consider a positive thing. For example, you may be really good at talking yourself out of trouble. Many wouldn’t consider your silver tongue and the way that you wield it to be a skill, but a judge might. That quick wit could make you the perfect candidate for law school. If possible, get someone else to look over this list as well – they may recognize skills that you have that you haven’t considered.

    Step 2. Generate a top ten list of activities that you frequently engage in, or would like to frequently engage in, that make you happy.

    Step 3. Look at your activities list and go through each activity considering what type of skills it would take to excel in each one. If you were honest with yourself, you will find that you have the necessary skills to excel in at least one of these activities.

    Step 4. Now that you are able to recognize your skills and talents and how best to utilize them, get to it. In order for a skill to be recognized as a talent you need to engage in it regularly. That old adage “practice makes perfect” doesn’t exist for nothing. Let the next “how are they so good at that?” be about you. Bask in someone else’s praises about how skilled and talented you are and show the world the glory that is you.

  • Don’t Stress, Just Follow Your Heart

    Don’t Stress, Just Follow Your Heart

    Maybe you’re in your first year of high school or maybe you’re going to be graduating this year.  At whatever stage you are in, choosing a career path is probably on your mind. While some people know exactly what their whole future is going to look like, that is not always the case. Either way, a lot of us are plagued by uncertainty and fear when it comes to figuring out what kind of career we want to pursue in the future. Don’t worry – chances are a lot of your fellow classmates are in the same boat and feel the same way.

    Choosing a career path can seem like you’re choosing the tone for your whole life.  There are so many factors to consider when choosing the career that is just right for you. Questions that may cross your mind are: will this make me happy? Will I have financial security in this field? However, people get caught up in considering so many angles that the one factor they forget to consider is simply following their heart. This may sound a bit cheesy, but isn’t your heart always right?

    Sometimes parents will put pressure on you to choose a certain career path. Maybe they want you to follow in their footsteps and choose the same profession they’re in. Also, it may seem like a lot of your friends are choosing a particular career and it seems like it would be safe to go along with whatever they are choosing. Yet, if you are choosing a career based on what your parents want or what your friends want then you are not taking the time to figure out what is really important to you.

    You may also wish to seek the help of a guidance counselor. They may suggest career paths that they think will be suitable for you. However, remember that it is you that will be in this field one day and not them. So really consider what they are saying and if that career will make you happy.

    Don’t let choosing a career become stressful or a burden in your life. It is something that you will determine as you continue school. You will take different classes that you will either enjoy –  or you won’t. You will also explore different interests which will expand your horizons. Some of these classes and interests will appeal to you more than others. Through this process you will probably gravitate towards a certain career field. Your heart will lead you in the right direction.

  • June Scholarships of the Month – Apply Now!

    June Scholarships of the Month – Apply Now!

    If you’re entering post-secondary in September and you haven’t yet applied for scholarships, don’t fret! There are many for you to choose from, each one tailored to needs of specific students. Take a look through the great scholarships we found this month and see if any of them will work for you on your educational path.

    1. CN Canadian Diversity Scholarships – Open to students from a minority group who are enrolled in an engineering, transportation or sales/marketing field. Amount: $3000. Deadline: December 31, 2014.

    2. Global Solidarity Scholarship (OPSEU) – Open to students who are children, foster children or wards of OPSEU members. Amount: $1000. Deadline: June 14, 2014.

    3. Brian Maxwell Memorial Scholarship – Open to all students across Canada enrolled in any program. Amount: $5000. Deadline: June 16, 2014.

    4. Make it Right Bursaries and Scholarships – Open to students who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in residential renovation or construction to complete their academic training. Amount: $1500. Deadline: June 30, 2014.

    5. AIA and the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Scholarship Program – Open to students pursuing a career in the automotive aftermarket. Amount: $1000. Deadline: June 15, 2014.

    6. NUPGE The Scholarship for Visible Minorities – Open to all visible minority students who are the children or foster children of a National Union of Public and General Employees member. Amount: $1500. Deadline: June 30, 2014.

    7. NUPGE The Scholarship for Aboriginal Canadians – Open to all Aboriginal Canadian students who plan to enter the first year of a Canadian public post-secondary education institution full-time in 2014 – 2015 and who are the children, grandchildren or foster children of a NUPGE member. Amount: $1500. Deadline: June 30, 2014.

    8. Safety Scholars Canada – Open to all students who produce a driving safety video that is 25-55 seconds in length. Amount: $5000. Deadline: June 19, 2014.

    9. Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) Bursary – Open to students who are or have a relative who are insured through an individual or group policy of an insurance plan or program offered by OTIP. Amount: $1500. Deadline: June 15, 2014.

    10. Wado-Kai Student Development Fund – Open to students involved with Wado-Kai Federation that have sensei recommendation. Amount: $1000. Deadline: June 30, 2014.

  • Your New Responsibilities in High School

    Your New Responsibilities in High School

    Starting high school is an important stepping stone in your educational career. That being said, sometimes the transition into this new time of your life can be a bit of a challenge. High school comes with new subjects, new teachers and a variety of new responsibilities, and you’re going to have to work even harder to do well. It’s crucial to know what you’re expected of in high school. It might take a little time for you to adjust, but if you stay on track and try your best, there is no doubt you will continue to succeed in school.

    The main new responsibility you have in high school is initiative. There aren’t always going to be people to check up on you; a lot of your learning and progress depends on your hard work. You are responsible for your own grades: no one’s going to stand over you making sure you actually complete the work. Most teachers assign late penalties to assignments, which can seriously take a toll on your marks if you aren’t careful to get them in on time. What’s more, studying for tests, managing group projects and completing independent assignments are all up to you to handle. Teachers do try to help you out by providing reviews, giving extra help or reminding you of important dates. Ultimately, however, it’s up to you to put in the time you need to succeed.

    To add to that, all high school courses, no matter the subject, have exams. Usually worth 10-30% of your final mark, this can either be a final exam, a summative assignment or a combination of both. Depending on your school’s setup, these final evaluation periods are once or twice per year for each subject—and unfortunately, they often come at you all at the same time. When you’re completing summatives or studying for exams, it’s important to stay focused and try not to lose your cool. Exam season is a stressful time of year for everyone, but little by little you’ll start to become accustomed to the extra hours you have to spend on your schoolwork.

    Keeping all that in mind, don’t be too intimidated. Starting high school may be a difficult transition at first, but you can make it through if you try! It’s crucial to develop good work habits from the start, because as your education progresses your responsibilities will continue to grow. High school is designed to help you along the path to post-secondary (whether it is university, college, an apprenticeship, etc.). You might find that once you get used to your new learning environment, you can really start to enjoy the material you’re studying. Don’t discount the important learning you’re going to do at this time of your life—not only through your schoolwork, but through the life skills you pick up along the way.

  • Living On A Budget

    Living On A Budget

    As a young person, your parents are probably paying for most, if not all, of your expenses. Perhaps you have a job, in which case you may be making some of your own money. However, because of the time that school takes up, you probably are only able to work part-time. This means that your income is limited to what your parents give you and what small amount of money you can make at your job. Learning how to budget your money is an invaluable skill that will help you to learn the value of money and make important decisions about what you need and what you can live without.

    Budgeting starts by thinking about your expenses and what you can and cannot afford to buy. It also involves setting goals for what purchases you would like to make in the coming years, which can be very exciting and rewarding. Your parents may already be paying for your “big” expenses like rent, food and transportation costs (bus pass, car, etc.). They might also pay your phone and internet bill. In turn, you would then be responsible for paying for your clothing, hygiene products (like shampoo and conditioner) and your entertainment costs. All of these amenities add up and you will eventually have to pay for all of these things yourself.

    Setting goals about when you will be able to afford a certain purchase is a really good way to initially ease yourself into a budget. If, for example, you currently work part-time hours (20-30 per week) and you want to buy a car within the next 4 years, you can calculate how much money you will have to put away in your savings account. Knowing this will help to set you up for success and encourage you to spend your money responsibly. It will help you to make tough decisions about what you really need and what you don’t (do you NEED that new Xbox game?).

    Depending on your financial situation, you might also be responsible for paying your university or college tuition. These costs can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars and definitely require budget planning. You will need to factor in all of the above mentioned cost in addition to the cost of school. This is where applying for student loans and scholarships becomes vitally important. Remember – student loans you are required to pay back. Scholarships are essentially free money. Ensure you have applied for as many scholarships as possible!

    All of this responsibility can tend to weigh down on you and make you feel trapped. But don’t worry! Everyone has a budget. Some are more restricted than others, but with a little creativity and organizational skills, you will be able to manage perfectly well and become a better person for it. Money comes and goes, but as long as you are doing your part to earn an income and to actively plan and manage your money, you will be fine.

  • How to Write a Scholarship Application Essay

    How to Write a Scholarship Application Essay

    Getting a scholarship at any leading college or university requires immense preparation for students. One of the most challenging jobs is to submit a well articulated scholarship essay. Admission officers consider this as an integral part of the scholarship grant process. However, things have changed for the better with many websites being launched which publish numerous sample essays which can be used as a baseline for students who are applying for scholarships. Let us quickly see what these websites have to offer and how we can use the services to come out with world class scholarship essay.

    For starters, these websites ask students to create their profile. After the profile is created, students can submit any number of essays that they want. At any given point, website visitors vote for the essays after which the best five essays are shortlisted. The best among the five essays get a prize of varying amounts depending upon the website’s policies.

    Students are diligently using the services of these websites. They can read essays which they feel are closely related to their requirements and use these as a baseline to write their own original scholarship essay. Some of the websites have video tips which help the students to get better ideas of how to write a scholarship essay. Many sites also have message boards where students can come together to provide tips to each other.

    The essays which are submitted to the site are stored in the database for future reference. The concept is new and, as a result, finding lots of acceptance among students. Most of these websites have different sections which highlight the recently submitted essays and also the most popular sample scholarship essays. As we move forward we will see that there will be many more websites which will offer essay scholarships. Students are expressing their happiness at the launch of these sites. Different sections of the education fraternity have also expressed their support for many of the leading websites.

  • Students and Summer Jobs

    Students and Summer Jobs

    Summer is coming soon, and you might be thinking about family trips, days at the beach and long shopping trips to the mall. For some people, summer is a time to relax and to spend time with family and friends. For others, however, it can be a time to find a job and to earn money for university or for special trips or other projects. After school ends for the year, thousands of students go out looking for work at the many places that offer summer jobs. Have you started job-hunting yet?

    If you are like many other students, you might already have had a paying job. Maybe you have delivered flyers or mowed someone’s lawn to earn a bit of money for yourself. However, working at a summer job is a bit different. Many summer jobs become available in offices, stores and restaurants when the regular employees go on holidays. Sometimes employers might also take the opportunity to hire students to complete special projects that take too much time for the regular employees to finish. In other cases, the work might also be something that happens only in spring or summer, such as gardening or selling plants. All kinds of jobs become available when the weather warms up.

    Working for pay in a summer job is very different from doing chores at home. Most provinces have rules about the minimum age that people have to reach before they can get most types of jobs. New workers also need to get a social insurance number (SIN), which is a government number that allows people to work in Canada. Whenever workers start new jobs, they have to give this number to their employers. Once you have your SIN, you can start the process of looking for work.

    When you actually start looking for a job, the first place to go might be a local student employment office. Online job banks for student are also useful. However, many jobs are never officially listed in any job centre or database. Instead, many employers fill jobs through personal contacts. By talking to people about your need for work, you might be able to get access to this hidden job market.

    Finding a job that suits you is another factor in looking for a summer job. It doesn’t need to be something that you want to do for the rest of your life or even the next few years. However, it should be work that you are able to do, even if you need to learn a lot on the job. If you find a job that you can do well, you have a good chance of being hired again the next year.  You might also learn some skills that you will need to know for the future.

    Looking for a summer job is an important step in the process of becoming an adult. It’s never too early to start thinking about what you want to learn from the experience of earning money during the holidays.

  • Jobs with Animals: Dog Groomer

    Jobs with Animals: Dog Groomer

    I interviewed Kelly Booth, a local dog groomer. We talked about dog grooming as a career, some challenges she faces at work, and what she enjoys about her job.

    M: Being a dog groomer isn’t a typical occupation. When and how did you decide to pursue it as a career?
    K: I knew I wanted to work with animals, so I just started applying to pet stores and veterinary clinics. I dropped off my resume at PetSmart where the manager explained the process of becoming a groomer. I would start as a bather and, if I showed potential, they would send me to the grooming “academy” which is run by PetSmart. So this is what I did, and I’ve been doing it for about three years now.

    M: What kind of schooling is required, and how long does it take?
    K: The training I received was pretty basic. I just went to an “academy certified” PetSmart store where I was trained how to groom. This lasted about a month and we learned how to do the different cuts on the main breeds of dogs.

    M: What are some typical challenges that you face at work?
    K: As you can imagine, working with dogs is not always easy. They can be temperamental and unpredictable. The most common challenge I face is grooming dogs that are just generally uncooperative, i.e.: pulling their legs when I’m trying to brush them or groom them, not standing, squirming when I’m trying to do their nails, etc. I get bit and scratched quite a lot. It can be frustrating and scary because I’m dealing with sharp objects and it can be dangerous.

    It’s also really hard on your body. A lot of groomers end up getting carpal tunnel and back and leg problems.

    M: What is the career path for someone who has just completed their schooling?
    K: I started as a bather/brusher, which is basically just bathing and brushing out the dogs, clipping their toenails, and cleaning their ears. After about six months, I started my training. After that, I had to do a 100-dog “apprenticeship”, in which I had to groom twenty shave-downs, twenty sporting dogs, twenty short-legged terriers, twenty long-legged terriers, and twenty hand-scissor cuts. When I was finished that, I became a commissioned groomer.

    M: What are the typical earnings per dog?
    K: The earnings vary depending on the cut that the pet parent wants. For example, a simple shave down ranges from $55-$65 or $80-$90 for a hand-scissored poodle. Some larger dogs, like a Newfoundlander or an Old English Sheepdog, can be $100-$120. Commissions are typically 50-70%.

    M: What is your favourite thing about your job?
    K: I love working with animals. Sometimes we get dogs that like to give hugs and kisses. And the little puppies are always so much fun! I also really like being able to use my hands to create something. Helping the dogs feel better after being all matted is really rewarding.