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Category: Featured Articles

  • Bringing Bedtime Back

    Bringing Bedtime Back

    In adapting to a fast-paced lifestyle, students have forgotten a basic necessity: sleep! With demanding class schedules, study cramming, and endless party opportunities, the level of sleep deprived Canadian college students is measured at 20 percent and climbing, according to the National Sleep Foundation. But is this a passing trend or organic inevitability? There are some biological reasons that sleep deprivation and college lifestyles exist hand in hand, but it’s still very possible to keep sleep under control. Building healthy sleeping habits even before hitting post-secondary schedules can help decrease your chances of falling into that insomniac bracket, and increase your chances of academic success.
    High school senior Andy Scarfone feels defeated in his efforts to conquer his body clock. “It’s awful trying to get up for school in the morning,” he claims. “My body just refuses to function that early! I’m definitely no stranger to falling asleep in class.”

    Andy doesn’t face this problem alone, and his personal activities may not be to blame. The National Sleep Foundation claims that teen circadian rhythms are naturally different from those of younger children or adults, thus having school hours initially set by adult workers means it’s often difficult for teen bodies to match the schedules laid out for them. No earlier than 11 p. m., adolescent bodies begin producing the hormone melatonin, a powerful sleep-inducer. By 8 a. m., melatonin still hasn’t stopped pumping through their systems. When student sleep patterns are forced to adjust to suit class schedules that vary day-to-day, midnight study sessions, and the occasional party marathon, the instability causes narcoleptic symptoms to arise, hijacking alertness and contributing to failure and dropout rates.

    Sleep-deprived students typically have poorer grades and higher frequencies of health problems than their cozy counterparts. Researchers discovered that activity occurs in the same area of the brain during sleep as it does during learning information; sleep being a crucial step in organizing and strengthening memories. Without these hours of unconscious convalescence, sleep deprived students are prone to falling behind. Sleep deprivation contributes to skin problems like acne, and instigates aggression and depression. Stressed and tired teens reach for fried and sugary foods to boost energy, garnering higher chances of unhealthy weight gain (often the dreaded “freshman fifteen” can be attributed to such behaviour). Lack of sleep also deepens the effects of alcohol, dangerous for college students whose bodies are at an age where consumption is barely legal in the first place.

    So how can we melatonin over-producing, unstable schedule-fighting students find sleep peace? It’s all about making conscious efforts towards being unconscious on a consistent basis. Teens need an average of eight to nine hours of sleep every night! A National Sleep Foundation survey found that college/university-aged students get an average of only 6.8 hours. Freshman students faced the highest amounts of sleep loss due to the stressful transition period between high school and post-secondary lifestyles. Keep that ideal average (eight to nine hours) in mind when watching late-night TV or browsing Facebook for hours on end.

    It is also important to relax your mind when preparing for a full night’s sleep, reducing stress and loosening up after demanding academics and extra-curriculars. That means no 24, Flashpoint, or Call of Duty before bed. Take it easy and read a book or a magazine – this helps your mind unwind and lets you get to sleep more quickly.

    Another way to keep a steady circadian rhythm is resisting the urge to nap. Sleeping for more than 30 minutes during the day can throw off your sleep schedule and do more harm than good, so save up those tired feelings to ensure a full night’s sleep instead.

    As for all-nighters, it is best to avoid them. That exam will be kinder to you if you have a good night’s sleep under your belt than if you stay up all night cramming information into your tired head. Your test will be less stressful and less drool-stained. Once a healthy sleep pattern is achieved, you may be able to absorb the information better in class in the first place.

    When it comes to sleep, every minute counts. By taking small steps, acknowledging your need for sleep, and making the conscious decision to maintain healthy and consistent sleep schedules, you will always be waking up ready to fulfill your potential.

  • Five Places to Look for Summer Employment

    Five Places to Look for Summer Employment

    1. Golf Courses. Golf courses are everywhere and have a huge need for seasonal employment. Caddying, landscaping and working in the gift shop or restaurant are some opportunities available to teens.

    2. Offices. Whether it’s helping to answer phones, filing or doing paperwork, there is always a lot going on in an office for a smart and responsible teen to do. Working in an office also provides teens with the chance to learn about being in a professional workplace.

    3. Museums and Other Cultural Institutions. Summer is the time for big shows and large crowds. Museums are always looking for energetic, enthusiastic and affordable help. Teens provide the perfect fit for these unique opportunities.

    4. Restaurants. Because of high turnover, the restaurant industry is always hiring. Working in a restaurant setting provides teens with a skill set that can be transferable to other jobs as well as provide valuable life lessons.

    5. Volunteer. Although volunteering does not provide a salary, it offers a great way to make an impact on the community. Volunteering enables teenagers to develop skills, network, and strengthen their resumes so they can have a more fulfilling job search the next summer.

  • The Part-Time Job Experience

    The Part-Time Job Experience

    When looking for a part-time job, you don’t have to settle for just anything. There are many jobs that are tailored specifically for students that will also help you to reach your long-term career goals or just get you the experience you need to move up the corporate ladder. With the spring season fast approaching, many retailers are looking for part-time help immediately to assist them with the rush of customers.

    Retail is the most common type of part-time job for students. This includes clothing stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and most other jobs where you are required to work hands-on with the public. With so many different types of retail opportunities to choose from, you can select something in an area that is of interest to you. Like fashion? Apply clothing stores in the local mall, who generally require more people on evenings and weekends when you are likely to have some free time. If you like beauty, you can apply to work at a make-up counter in a department store. If you like sports, you can apply at many fitness-related retailers or even to be an usher at a local sports arena.

    If you enjoy being outdoors, a plethora of part-time jobs are available to you. You can deliver newspapers/flyers a few mornings a week or be a dog-walker. You can also shovel walkways or clear driveways during the wintertime. Many people are too busy to do this during the Christmas holidays, or they will be out of town on vacations. You can advertise your services in this regard on free community message boards such as Kijiji and Craigslist.

    Another important option to not overlook is the food industry. This includes restaurants and cafes as well as fast food. Most restaurant workers will need to obtain their “Food Safe” or “Smart Serve” certificates to prove they can handle food and kitchen tools in a sanitary manner. This course is generally only one day in length and will give you access to many different jobs that others without the certificate would not be able to get. Another advantage of working in the food industry is that your wage is often supplemented by tips.

    Retail jobs, while they may seem boring, will provide you with a solid foundation in the business world. You will learn how to use cash registers (many companies have their own computerized systems), handle cash and credit card transactions, do paperwork and bank deposits and practice loss prevention strategies. Most importantly, they will give you hands-on experience in customer service – this is perhaps one of the first things you will be asked about in subsequent jobs interviews. Being able to work with the public in a friendly and helpful manner will get you far in your chosen career.

  • Career Profile: Teacher

    Career Profile: Teacher

    Teaching is a career which requires a great deal of knowledge and passion. While knowledge can certainly be learned, passion cannot be taught. However, if an aspiring teacher is passionate about the profession, a teaching education can certainly help him or her to develop the skills necessary to organize and manage a classroom that effectively promotes learning.

    Education
    In Ontario, teachers must hold a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree from any recognized University. A primary/junior teacher (grades K-6) will have a degree in any discipline, while an intermediate/senior teacher will hold a double-major degree in two “teachable” subjects.

    Then, teachers will complete the Bachelor of Education. This is a one-year degree where candidates spend most of their time taking courses in education, and the rest of it student teaching. For an average of two to three months spread across the year in “blocks” of time, the student teacher is paired with a working teacher, giving lessons and grading work in order to practice his or her skills.

    Job Searching
    Teaching jobs in Ontario are notoriously limited. Specializing in certain subjects (for example, French) will give candidates a hard competitive edge when job hunting. Many teachers must begin work as “occasional” (supply) teachers, sometimes having to work for several years before securing permanent positions. If you want it, don’t give up – however, if you are debating between several career options, this is something that you might want to keep in mind.

    What to Take?
    Primary/junior teachers are best advised to take a variety of subjects throughout their Bachelor of Education. For example, an aspiring teacher candidate might choose a major in child psychology, rounding out the timetable with diverse electives in math, art, or physical education.
    Intermediate/senior teachers are to have a minimum of two “teachable” subjects; this means that they have taken a certain number if courses in a high-school relevant subject. Examples of “teachable” subjects include mathematics, general science, biology, physics, history, English, and French.

    Do Your Research
    The Teaching Profession: www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teacher/employ.html
    Teacher Education Application Service (TEAS): www.ouac.on.ca/teas
    Ontario College of Teachers: www.oct.ca

  • Stay Productive this Summer!

    Stay Productive this Summer!

    As soon as school is over, it’s very tempting to launch straight into “summer mode.” The school year is highly structured – you need to be in class at a certain time each day, which means you have to go to bed and get up at a certain time. When summer starts, that’s all out the window. Suddenly you have lots of free time and you’re going to want to use some of this time to recharge and relax. But taking a little bit of time each day (or even each week) can help to keep you in the habit of being productive and get you ahead not only in school but in life.

    Start Small
    As soon as summer vacation starts, set aside a little bit of time each day to do something productive. This can vary from person to person – it might involve going through your school notebooks and reviewing the ones you think will be useful in the next year, or it might mean spending some time learning Spanish online if that’s something you’ve always meant to do. Setting aside even 30 minutes each day will help you to establish some kind of routine. This will make it much easier to stay in the habit of getting work done.

    Stay Current
    Reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, reading blogs and staying up on current events is a great habit to get into. Knowing what’s going on in the world from a young age will serve you very well by the time you’re finished high school. If your family subscribes to a newspaper, that’s a great way to start. Otherwise, the library carries more newspapers than you could hope to read, and every major newspaper has an online publication and even a Twitter feed.

    Work or Volunteer
    This is especially useful if you think you’ve chosen your future career. For example, if you know that you’d like to go into medicine, you might want to look for volunteer opportunities at local hospitals or clinics. If you want to work in architecture, you could look for a job handling reception for an architectural office. The Ontario government also has a great resource for students looking for job, co-op, or internship opportunities: http://www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/JumpStart.asp

    Here’s wishing you a happy and productive summer 2013!

  • The Gap Year: What to Do with Your Free Time

    The Gap Year: What to Do with Your Free Time

    Taking a year off from school before university or college might be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make. It could be a year filled with self-discovery and joy. All you have to do is seize the day — or “carpe diem” as they say in Latin. The following are a few ideas to help you make the most of your gap year.

    Learn a Hobby
    It’s never too late to learn a new skill, such as learning how to play the piano, mastering a new language, or trying out photography. Well, now’s the time to do it! During your gap year, when you have a break from school, you’ll probably have a lot more time on your hands — and you might not know what to do with it. As you try a new hobby and add more variety into your life, you might find a life-long passion that will bring you joy for years to come.

    Furthermore, we all need balance in our lives: a balance between work and leisure. During your final year of high school, you were probably busy studying, working, and preparing for university or college. Now it’s time to strike a balance and have more fun.

    Volunteer
    You may be only one person, and a young person at that, but you can make a positive difference in your community (as cliché as it sounds). There are so many not-for-profit organizations that would be happy to have your help. For example, if you love animals you could volunteer at a local animal shelter walking dogs. Although you won’t get paid, you will benefit great deal from the experience – helping others could give your life a deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment.

    If you’re thinking about pursuing a career, such as journalism, but you’re not sure if it’s the right career choice for you, try volunteering at your local newspaper. This will help you get your “feet wet” and decide if it’s your dream occupation, and you’ll receive further clarification about which university or college program you should apply for.

    Be an Intern
    Besides volunteering, taking an internship during your gap year is a great way to try out an occupation that you’re interested in. It’s also a fantastic way to experience the professional world, where you’ll learn all about office culture, proper etiquette, how to dress, etc. The experience could really help you mature into the professional young man or woman you’d like to be.

    Additionally, taking on an internship will help you network and gain professional contacts. If you’re lucky, someone will decide to take you under their wing and mentor you. Then you’ll have the perfect role model to follow — someone who could help lead you to your dream career.

    Spend Time with Your Family
    Enjoying your family’s company might not be on the top of your priority list. Yet, a few years from now when you’re off at university or college and living on your own, you might reminisce about the past and wish you had spent more quality time with your loved ones. So, savour and appreciate your family — go on short trips, play board games, watch movies together, etc. You’ll be glad you did!

  • What I Wish I Knew Before Attending University

    What I Wish I Knew Before Attending University

    Hi! This is Jami and Ben – both fourth year students who attend Brock University. We decided to sit down and collaborate on a list of things we wish we had known before coming to university in the hopes that we can help future university students avoid the frustration and disappointment associated with finding out crucial information a little too late.

    1. Attend campus tours – This helps you to get familiar with the general location of important buildings and departments. It also helps you to know where your classes are so that your first day is not so overwhelming.

    2. Become best friends with your course/program calendar and academic adviser – Program guides are usually available online or as print copies at your university. These documents are useful in ensuring that you meet your degree requirements, but also typically give a list of courses along with their respective descriptions – use this to make sure your courses/program interest you! Your academic adviser can help make sure you are on track towards completing your degree, can provide assistance if you aren’t sure your program is right for you, or can offer you guidance concerning which courses to take – and more!

    3. Visit your Career Centre – We cannot stress how lifesaving a place this can be. From general job search help (including resume and cover letter assistance) to grad school information and career planning, your school’s career centre can help you when making difficult career-related decisions.

    4. Get involved – This can be done in a variety of ways and we suggest doing as many as you can! First, attending your orientation day/week events can help you get comfortable with your new environment and can answer many of the questions you have. Second, join a club or co-curricular activity, such as a mentoring program or students’ association in order to meet new people, provide you with networking opportunities, and make you feel more integrated into your university community. Third, volunteer or intern in your spare time – this looks great on a resume and can make you feel great about helping others! Fourth, attend career fairs and events in order to find exciting opportunities for part-time, full-time, career, abroad opportunities and more!

    While this list is not exhaustive, these are things that we did not think to do until later in our university careers, so we feel like we missed out on some great experiences and are now trying to catch up! Take our advice – ask questions, get involved, get informed. It will make your transition from high school to university much smoother and will aid in making your transition from university to the “real world” a lot easier, too! Good luck!

  • Social Media: An Employer’s Reference

    Social Media: An Employer’s Reference

    Pretend, for a moment, that you have never actually met yourself. You are an owner of a prosperous dog-sitting company that has a reputation for serving customers with the highest level of professionalism. You market your company with the promise that every dog will be cared for by responsible, respectful employees who will give the dogs the very best of care. Because of that promise, you attract many loyal customers and you try to take extra care when you hire new employees so you find someone you can trust who will be reliable and mature enough to do the job. When you receive a number of applications from students who want to work for your company, you immediately go online to try to learn more about the potential candidates. When you Google your name, what kind of information do you find?

    The term “social media” refers to the ways in which people create, share and exchange information and ideas online and through networks. It’s a form of social interaction that more and more employers are tapping into to get a sense of who the people are that are applying to work for them.

    Now return to your present perspective and think about what you have shared online. Is your name attached to the photos of you dancing on the table at last weekend’s huge spring break party? Is your face recognizable in the video your friend posted of students who are underage and under the influence? Such images might cause an employer to immediately throw out your application. That’s why it’s important to construct your online presence with care and make use of the privacy tools that many social networking sites provide.

    Here is a list of five of the most popular social media websites used by many students and a brief explanation of what they offer:

    Facebook: Allows users to create a personal profile, add other users as friends and exchange private and public messages. Facebook currently has over one billion active users.

    Twitter: A micro-blogging site that enables users to send and read “tweets,” which are little text-like messages that cannot exceed 140 characters. Twitter has over 500 million registered users and generates more than 340 million tweets a day.

    LinkedIn: A social, yet professional networking site for people in professional occupations. LinkedIn has over 200 million registered users.

    Pinterest: A pinboard-style photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage image collections according to a theme of their choosing. Pinterest has about 12 million users and is growing fast.

    Instagram: An online photo-sharing and social networking service that allows users to take pictures and instantly apply digital filters to them. They can then share the finished product with the 90 million other monthly users.

    These are just a handful of hundreds of other sites that share information in similar ways and provide your potential employers with a chance to judge you based on what they see online. It’s time to refine your online presence and ensure you are presenting the best possible picture of yourself to the world.

  • Advice on Advice

    Advice on Advice

    Choosing an educational or career path is difficult, especially when you try to do it alone. But asking for advice can sometimes make things more confusing. When asking for opinions, it’s important to know what – and who – to ask. This guide will help you to collect the kind of advice that will help, not hinder, your decision making.

    1. Think about who really knows you best. You might automatically think, “Mom!” or “Grandpa Joe!” – but that may not be the case. Loving someone or being close to them doesn’t automatically mean that they know you best. Does your Grandpa Joe see you the way you are, or the way he would like you to be? He might think you’d make an amazing mathematics professor when, really, you can’t count and love ballet.

    2. Consider why people make the suggestions they make. Does your Aunt Louise want you to be an orchestra musician because she knows that you love to play violin; or is it because she never realized her own dream of playing in a symphony? Make sure that the suggestions you get are tailored to you, and not to the person suggesting them.

    3. Interview people and ask work-related questions. Ask people what they do (or did) and find out what their jobs were like. Ask family members about their jobs – why they chose them, what they like and don’t like, or what a typical day looks like. People are your best resource: don’t be afraid to ask around to get a better idea of what field might most interest you.

    4. Do your homework. If you already have an idea of what you’d like to do, research it before asking opinions on it. If you’d like to work in accounting, you may not want to ask the opinions of your performing arts family members unless you’ve done a bit of background research. People often react to jobs that they think are “boring” or “difficult” without considering whether or not they’d be right for you. Doing research can also help you when asking questions about other peoples’ jobs.

    The right advice can help you to make a career decision that you feel good about. The wrong advice, on the other hand, can do the opposite. The most important thing to remember is that at the end of the day, the only person doing your job is you. Your cousin Fred may love you, but he won’t be coming to work with you every day. Take advice with a grain of salt; use it to inform your decision making, but remember that your decisions are yours to make.

  • Teaching English as a Career

    Teaching English as a Career

    The English language has a lot of short, easy words. Just think of words like “run” — a short, three-letter word that is easy to spell and easy to learn. But are they really that easy? Think of how many meanings words like “run” have. You can run a race or get a home run in baseball. A newspaper has a run, and you can run out of time. How can non-English speakers ever learn such a complicated language? That’s where English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers can help.

    Teaching the English language can be a good career option, especially for anyone who enjoys travel. Over 400 million people around the world use English as their first language, which is the main language that they are most comfortable using. However, over 700 million people use English as a second or third language, and the number is growing all the time.

    English is spoken all over the world and is the standard language used in many businesses, in technical and scientific studies, and for transportation on airplanes and ships. You might even hear a German-speaking airline pilot talking to a German-speaking airport employee, not in German, but in English. Most communication by computers and even traditional mail is in English, and use of the English language is still growing.

    As the need for English skills is increasing, the need for English teachers is growing as well. This kind of teaching goes by several different names which often reflect the needs of the students. Teaching English as a Second Language is often about teaching immigrants how to speak with their neighbours and co-workers. Practical vocabulary and grammar are important parts of each lesson.

    In other countries, English as a Foreign Language or English as an Additional Language (EAL) are often the terms people use. Without the chance to use English every day at home or at work, the students often have to work harder at getting a chance to practice their skills. The kind of help the students need is normally the focus of the classes. Lessons could focus on conversational skills or grammar or both.

    What does it take to work in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language)? In North America and many other parts of the world, a Bachelor of Education with an emphasis on teaching language to non-English speakers is probably the best option. In some cases, a TESOL certificate or local training might be enough, especially if the school where you want to work has its own training program.

    Teaching English can be a good option if you love variety and adventure. You can teach in Japan, China, Mexico, or right in your own city. You can work with young children, university students, or retired people. You can teach in a classroom or tutor people at home. Wherever you go, teaching the English language can be a rewarding career for anyone.