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Author: Jasmin Bollman

  • A Career in Trades – From Insiders

    A Career in Trades – From Insiders

    With a plethora of career paths available to students once they leave high school, it can sometimes be difficult to determine where you should turn. You can go to university and spend four years gaining a Bachelors degree, you can obtain a diploma through college, or you can decide to study a trade. Increasingly, the latter option is becoming more and more popular with young people. But why?

    According to Line Breton, counsellor with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, a job in a trade is a stable career path. “Trades will always be needed in any economy,” she told us, “and your certification will always be recognized.”

    While going to school to obtain your certification, you will have the opportunity to work as an apprentice in your chosen field. JobsPeopleDo.com spoke with Bob Benner, owner of Hamill Machine Shop in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Benner has been regularly hiring apprentices for over 14 years and gave us the scoop on why the experience is so valuable.

    “An apprentice has the benefit of watching how the job is done and being able to go back to class with that experience,” said Benner. “They go to school to learn the right way to do things, but then get the practical experience and learn new methods while on the job.”

    Another often-overlooked benefit of a career in the trades is your ability to move up quickly and earn more money.

    “Once you start working, it gives you a chance to prove your worth,” says Benner. “In our shop, you may start at $14 per hour but can move up to as much as $27 per hour. If you work hard and keep your certification up-to-date, there is really nothing holding you back from earning more money. That is a big incentive for many students interested in trades.”

    The trades cover a wide array of different career paths, from mechanics to hairdressers, electricians to carpenters. No matter what path you decide on, both Benner and Breton agree that you need to follow your natural instincts.

    “Spend a semester working in a trade that interests you. It will expose you to both the positive and negative aspects of the job,” says Breton. This will help you to decide if this is the right trade for you.

    “Love what you do,” says Benner. “If you like working in trades, there will always be a place for you if you have your papers.”

    So why not discover the different options available to you in the trades sector? Check out all of the editorials and career profiles that we have lined up for you right here on the NEW JobsPeopleDo.com trades page!

  • JobsPeopleDo.com Launches A NEW Trades Page!

    JobsPeopleDo.com Launches A NEW Trades Page!

    Welcome to the February 2013 edition of JobsPeopleDo.com! We have plenty of exciting things in store for you this month, and we cannot wait to hear your feedback.

    First up, we are launching our brand new Trades page! The trades are some of the fastest growing jobs in Canada and we want you to learn everything you can about them. Read through all of our great editorial pieces in the Trades section and check out some careers in the Trades. You never know – maybe you’ll find your calling!

    We also have ten new scholarships that you can apply for this month. Remember – there is a scholarship out there for virtually anyone! No matter what you are studying, no matter where you are studying, no matter what your GPA is…there is a scholarship for you. Check the pre-requisites and get applying for that free money!

    We are over halfway through the winter season, so keep your head up. Soon the familiar sights, sounds and smells of Spring will be here!

    Jasmin Bollman, Assistant Editor

    Don’t forget: Be a mentor – someone needs you!

  • Can Anyone Get a Scholarship?

    Can Anyone Get a Scholarship?

    Sometimes when we are thinking about who does and doesn’t get a scholarship, we begin to hypothesize that it is only “brainiacs” who get them. We start thinking that you have to be a genius and exceptional in some way in order to get your hands on one of these monetary gifts. This is entirely false! You don’t actually have to be exceptional in any capacity to get a scholarship. In fact, the most important things are to be dedicated, persistent and organized. If you set goals at the beginning of the year, and put in consistent effort to achieve these goals, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to land yourself a scholarship. In this situation, we must refer ourselves to the SMART goals formula. We want to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed goals. By setting goals before the time starts to perform, we are able to really get down to work without getting distracted or forgetting what it is that we are doing.

    An example of a SMART goal related to getting yourself a scholarship is to fulfill all the requirements by the end of the year. This is a smart goal because it specifies exactly how many of the requirements you want to fulfill – all of them. It is measurable because you are specifying how many requirements you want to fulfill – you can count them. It is achievable and realistic because you have read through the requirements and know that you are able to do what is asked. Finally, it is timed because you want to fulfill all of the requirements by the end of the year. When we set goals in advance, we are better able to tackle the requirements ahead of us. We know what we want and we can work steadily towards attaining that end.

    An important thing to keep in mind with goals and getting scholarships is that there will always be setbacks whenever we are attempting to achieve anything. If you think that it will be easy and a piece of cake, you are probably kidding yourself. There will be times when you will want to give up, and it is at these times that you need to remember to persist and, if necessary, make some changes. There will also be setbacks which can come in the form of failures and/or losses. This is a natural part of the process and the important thing is to keep on going, stay committed to your goals and try for the best outcome.

    Getting a scholarship is like playing soccer. Think of yourself as the lead forward; You are trying to score as many points as is possible. You may set a goal to get 8 goals, and you will try as hard as you possibly can to get 8, but if you end up with 6 or 7 you will still have done a great job. The important thing to remember is that setting goals before we begin a task will help enormously to secure a positive outcome. Good luck!

  • Geothermal Heat and the Sewers of Paris

    Geothermal Heat and the Sewers of Paris

    Winter is here, together with ice, snow, and cold weather. Many people have already started using furnaces fueled by oil, natural gas, coal or other forms of energy to keep their homes, offices and schools warm. These types of energy usually work well. However, they also pollute the environment and no one really knows how long supplies will last. In recent years, many scientists and inventors have been working on alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind power. In Paris, heat from sewers is part of the government’s plan for keeping the city’s buildings warm. This new kind of geothermal heat might eventually help other cities use their resources more efficiently.

    Sometimes people need to be very creative to find a solution for the world’s energy needs. An alternative fuel source that people have been developing is geothermal energy, which uses natural heat from inside the earth to provide power for running machines or keeping buildings warm. The center (core) of the earth is very hot, and the layers above the core are also warm.

    Usually, using the earth’s warmth involves digging holes deep into the ground to find the heat. People have found that the earth’s temperature increases by about 30˚C for each kilometre. Using this kind of heat helped keep the athletes at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics warm, and Iceland has heated its buildings with the energy from its many hot springs and geysers for years. The idea of using sewer water, however, is new.

    The city of Paris is famous for its sewers. Almost 2400 kilometers of tunnels run under the city, carrying waste water from sinks, dishwashers, bathtubs or showers. Much of this water is still warm, with an average temperature of about 20˚C. The sewer heating system uses steel plates containing a heat-transferring liquid, which sits in the water and warms up. The plate is connected to a pump which sends the heat throughout the building. This new heating system can even use the pipes that are already in the building. A school was the first building to receive the new heating system, with the president’s palace, a swimming pool and a town hall next in line. About 10% of the city’s heat is already generated through this system.

    Geothermal heat is much cleaner than traditional fuels like oil and gas, but it also creates some problems. Digging into the ground can release gases like hydrogen sulfide, which pollute the air, and it can also produce deadly liquids in the process of producing heat. Using sewer water is different. With the Paris project, the main problem is in keeping the smell from the sewers from coming into the buildings, but the inventors believe that they’ve solved that problem by creating a tightly sealed system that lets heat through, but nothing else.

    If heat generated from sewers continues to work as well as it has so far, it might help the people of Paris and other cities around the world to create cleaner, more sustainable energy for the future.

  • What Is a Red Seal and Why Is It Important?

    What Is a Red Seal and Why Is It Important?

    What is the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program?

    The Red Seal program was established to provide skilled workers with greater mobility across Canada. Through the program, certified journeypersons are able to obtain a Red Seal endorsement on their Certificate of Qualification by successfully completing, where applicable, an interprovincial standards examination. The program encourages standardization of provincial and territorial apprenticeship training and certification programs. The Red Seal allows qualified persons to practice their respective occupation in any province or territory in Canada where it is designated, without having to attempt further examinations. To date, there are forty-five occupations included in the Interprovincial Red Seal Program.

    What other benefits come from enrolling in a “Red Seal” Trade Apprenticeship?

    You have probably heard the radio commercials from the Government of Canada recently about the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant program. Right now there is a very high demand for tradespeople of all varieties. This is why the Government of Canada created the Incentive Program to attract people to learn a trade.

    That’s right – you can get paid twice to learn a trade, instead of running up high tuition bills while you learn! To learn more about the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant Program, please visit the Service Canada website.

  • Could Hockey Become an Endangered Sport?

    Could Hockey Become an Endangered Sport?

    One benefit of the National Hockey League strike: it gave people time to play outside on real ice! But outdoor skating could face the same difficulties as the NHL – a drastically shorter season or outright cancellation. Research from Montreal’s McGill and Concordia universities shows global warming is already having an effect on outdoor rinks in Canada.

    “Many locations across the country have seen significant decreases in the length of the OSS [outdoor skating season], as measured by the number of cold winter days conducive to the creation of rink ice,” their study states. “This is particularly true across the Prairies, and in Southwest Canada, which showed the largest (and most statistically significant) decreases in the calculated OSS length between 1951 and 2005.”

    This echoes a 2009 David Suzuki Foundation report, On Thin Ice: Winter Sports and Climate Change. The McGill investigation looks at constructed outdoor rinks while DSF’s focuses on frozen rivers, canals and lakes, but the conclusions are similar. Both predict that, unless we rein in greenhouse gas emissions, outdoor skating in parts of Canada could be history within the next 50 to 100 years (the McGill study’s authors now say it could happen within 20 to 30 years), and the length of the outdoor skating season will continue to decline across the country.

    Meanwhile, at Ontario’s Wilfrid Laurier University, geographers have launched www.RinkWatch.org, a website where people can record information about backyard or neighbourhood rink conditions over the winter.

    “Our hope is that Canadians from coast to coast will help us track changes in skating conditions, not just this year, but for many years to come,” associate professor Robert McLeman said in a release. “This data will help us determine the impact of climate change on winter in terms of length of season and average temperatures.”

    According to the DSF report, one of Canada’s best-loved outdoor skating venues, Ottawa’s Rideau Canal, provides an example of what to expect. It concludes that, with current emissions trends, the canal’s skating season could shrink from the previous average of nine weeks to 6.5 weeks by 2020, less than six weeks by 2050 and just one week by the end of the century. In fact, two winters ago, the season lasted 7.5 weeks, and last year it was down to four. The canal had yet to fully open for skating when this column was written.

    “On Thin Ice” notes that many of Canada’s hockey heroes got their start on outdoor rinks. “Without pond hockey, we probably wouldn’t have what has become the modern game of hockey,” the authors state. The DSF study says climate change could have a profound effect on many other winter sports, from skiing and snowboarding to winter mountaineering.

    With food and water problems caused by more frequent droughts and floods, property losses and high infrastructure costs from rising sea levels, and increasing illness and death from extreme weather and pollution, hockey may be the least of our worries. But losing winter recreation opportunities, let alone our ability to produce food and keep our homes warm and people healthy, needn’t happen. Solutions to our human-created problems exist. We just need our leaders to start taking this and other environmental issues seriously.

    That’s not likely as long as we keep electing people who show more concern for the future of the fossil fuel industry than the citizens they are supposed to represent. Politicians who only look ahead three or four years — until the next election — aren’t seeing the big picture.

    We need to consider every solution possible, now — from putting a price on emissions through carbon taxes and/or cap-and-trade to stopping the rapid exploitation of fossil fuels and switching to cleaner energy sources.

    A skate or hockey game outside is a good place to start!

  • The World’s Newest Snake

    The World’s Newest Snake

    Suppose that you saw a long, thin brown rope hanging from a tree and that the rope suddenly started to move. What would you think it was? If you were in the Chocoan forests in the South American country of Ecuador, you might realize that what looked like a rope was really the blunt-headed vine snake, which has only recently been discovered. For scientists and other snake enthusiasts, the discovery is exciting and will likely prompt years of exploration and study.

    Blunt-headed vine snakes are the seventh known species in a group called Imantodes chocoensis. These snakes live mainly in Mexico and in Central and South America. Blunt-headed vine snakes are long, thin, and normally brown or cream-coloured. They hunt for frogs, lizards, and other small animals at night, hanging from the trees where they live and grabbing animals that pass by the tree. Although they have some poison in their fangs, they are unlikely to do much harm to people with their venom.

    The most unusual thing about blunt-headed vine snakes is their appearance. They have long, thin bodies with thin necks which then bulge out to a large head. Sometimes, the head can even be about eight centimetres wide, making it seem very large on such a long, thin body. They have large, bulging eyes which take up more than 25% of their heads. Their stomachs and other internal organs are near the ends of their bodies, close to the tail. Their closest relatives live on the other side of the Andes Mountains in South America.

    Although most people have probably never heard of the blunt-headed vine snake, some scientists have known about it for a few years. The snake’s discovery came in April 2007, when a group of zoologists (people who study animals) led by a scientist, Omar Torres-Carvajal from the zoological museum, first found it. After looking closely at it and comparing it with other snakes, they realized that it was a species that no one had identified before. Now they will try to find out how to preserve the snake’s home and to keep it from disappearing.

    Finding an unknown snake in Ecuador was an exciting discovery, but possibly not entirely unexpected. Ecuador is known for its many types of animals and the many species that live there. The Amazon River region is home to many different species of plants and animals. The place where researchers found the snake is part of a region called Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, which has an area of 274,597 square kilometres. With so much space, there could be many more animals in the area that scientists have not yet discovered.

    For some zoologists, it might seem as if all of the world’s species of animals are already known and that there is nothing new to learn. However, the discovery of the blunt-headed vine snake in northwestern Ecuador could give people new enthusiasm to explore the world’s animals. They could also find new ways to keep the snakes safe from threats and to help them to thrive.

  • Co-Operative Education and Volunteering

    Co-Operative Education and Volunteering

    When we think of work we usually immediately think of compensation – which, in all fairness, is why we work. However, working for free or enrolling in what is called a co-operative education program can be quite beneficial for young individuals trying to get their foot in the door. It is usually offered to high school students and young adults working towards a high school diploma. Volunteering is also another way to get experience, so let’s take a deeper look into both of these options.

    Co-operative education is aimed at both high school students and young adults who have not yet completed the requirements for a high school diploma. The student normally chooses their place of employment and is scheduled to come to class a few times a week to log in what they did at their workplace and what they learned.

    Co-op placements, much like volunteering, gives hands on experience in the workplace. They do not differ much except that successful co-op students may be hired on by the employer upon successful completion of their assignment. In addition, students earn credits through the co-op program that go towards their high school diploma.

    Co-op is perfect for students who have not yet graduated; not only will they receive credits, but they may also be setting themselves up for future employment.

    Co-operative education is offered by all high schools and adult education centres in Ontario. Perquisites vary, but are not very strict. Check with your local high school or adult learning centre.

    Volunteering is ideal for high school students who are either looking to complete their 40 hours of community service (which is a mandatory requirement for high school graduates) or students who would like to see more of the workplace, gain first hand exposure at working life and determine which career would most suit them.

    In this day and age, networking is a must. By volunteering students can meet employers, build strong professional relationships with their colleagues and apply these skills to life after high school. Students can gain valuable workplace experience, use them as references and share their knowledge with classmates.

    With so many employment opportunities, students can limit their career choices and choose the appropriate courses that will guide them to their chosen field of study.

    Both volunteering and co-op serve as great chances to develop strong communication skills, familiarize yourself with the workplace and its people and get to know what career best suits you.

    By engaging in volunteering or co-op, students will carry life long references and lessons brought on by early workplace exposure. This will follow students to and from college or directly to the workplace.

  • Interview Do’s and Don’ts for 2013

    Welcome to your job interview 2013. As we all know, it is getting harder to get jobs and fighting for that position will make you feel like a gladiator. It is important you don’t sabotage your opportunities by saying or doing the wrong things during the interview process.

    Do’s

    Practice your greeting in the mirror and be realistic. This means friendly eye contact and a good hand shake. If you are not comfortable with eye contact, practice it. It shows confidence and attention and will make the difference between landing and losing the job.

    Use professional body language. It is 2013 and all fields are competitive – so sit up and show some interest. If this rings a bell for it’s probably because you’ve been asked to sit up before in school as it shows the teacher you are taking interest.

    Dress to impress! You may have heard the phrase, “Dress for the job you want – not the job you have”. This is definitely true in an interview situation! Dress well and pay attention to little details, like your hair and make-up. Do not go overboard on cologne or perfume as the interviewer may have an allergy to it.

    Be prepared to answer a variety of questions. “What makes you an asset to our company?”, “How do you handle stressful situations?”, “Why THIS company?”, “ What would you say your weaknesses are?” Some of these questions are hard to answer on the spot. Make sure not to advertise
    any insecurities or doubt. Research a bit about the company you’re applying with and prepare for some of these questions.

    Shake and smile as you leave and do a follow up. You can follow up through email or by phone 24 hours later, reinforcing your interest for the position. If you have worked through an employment agency it would be a good idea to call them and express you interest in the job as well.

    Don’ts

    Say” I don’t know”. “I don’t know” may just be the most unintelligent thing you could ever say after “whatever”. To not know implies that you are clueless or haven’t given it any thought.

    Blast former employers. We all have past employers who we don’t think fondly of but this interview is not the time to express it. Consider it a test. When asked why you left your last job be vague, if it was for negative reasons.

    Ask about sick days or days off. Whether you mean it or not, it will imply you are irresponsible and that the employer will expect you to call in sick within your first month of being hired. If you are sick, get a doctor’s note.

    Never look at your phone. To an employer it’s a smack in the face. If you can’t not look at your phone for ten minutes during an interview it shows lack of interest and that you are not taking the interview seriously. Turn the phone off.

    Have anything in your mouth. Gum, toothpick, attitude – none of these things should be in your mouth.

  • The Human Cognition Project

    The Human Cognition Project

    Every day, you use your brain in many different ways. You use it to learn new material at school, to talk with your friends, and even to blink your eyes. Right now you’re using it to read and understand the words of this article. Scientists know that the brain controls the rest of the body, but there are still many mysteries about exactly how it works. How do people really think? Why do their brain functions change as they get older? Researchers working with the Human Cognition Project hope to find answers to questions of human thought.

    The word “cognition” usually refers to the process of thought, including how people get information and what they do with it. Cognition can be conscious, like when you talk with your friends and think about the words everyone is saying. It can also be unconscious, like when you quickly pull your hand away from a hot stove.

    People’s ability to think and process information changes throughout their lives. Young children have to learn the connection between touching hot stoves and burning their fingers, but most people can make connections like these without consciously thinking about them. They learn how to behave in different social situations and begin to develop their own ideas about the world and how it works.

    Cognition changes throughout people’s lives. Accidents, illnesses, stress, or getting older can often affect the brain. Everyone has occasional memory lapses and problems with understanding difficult ideas, but some people have more troubles than others. Some cognition problems are minor and cause few lasting troubles, such as when you forget to do your homework and have to hand it in late. Other problems can be much more serious, such as when people forget their own names and addresses. They could become lost or get into all kinds of other trouble.

    The purpose of the Human Cognition Project is to find out more about what happens when the brain is not working as well as it could. Seven projects are part of the research, covering topics like the connection between what people see and what they remember. Another topic is how this connection relates to witnesses of crimes. Helping people to remember events more accurately could be an important result of the work in this area.

    How people’s brains change as they age is another important part of the Human Cognition Project. When people get older, they often lose their memories or develop other problems with thinking clearly. These problems are often called dementia, and they are an important part of the Human Cognition Project. If scientists could understand exactly why the brain loses so many of its abilities as it ages, they might be able to find a cure for the mental troubles of old age.

    Will all of this study of cognition help people with problems like memory loss or other loss of brain function? It might not provide a cure, but it can at least provide a basis for future research into the human brain.