Because sometimes it takes a long time to tell a great story
Working as an editor for the OLC has been such a positive learning experience and has help me connect with so many unique and engaging stories. Although my time here is coming to an end, I would like to share some of my favourite pieces that I had the pleasure of working on.
OLC has things to help students go pro. Having been part of the OLC's technical team and coming from a tech background myself, I tend to skim through tech-related articles first, diving deeper into the ones that pique my interest. I've compiled a list of my favourite finds from the OLC website, considering them valuable assets for fellow students.
It's been an amazing four months as a Copy Editor here at the OLC. I've had the chance to work on a variety of content, and it's been quite a journey. The OLC is a unique space where students can explore and contribute to a wide range of topics.
Choosing my top picks was tough with so much good stuff, but here are three pieces that really stood out to me:
I’ve been at the OLC for eight great months as a Lead Editor, and I wanted to use a selection of content from my time here that really stuck with me. Without further ado:
Our Top Posts of 2021 range a variety of topics: from dealing with feeling burnt out at school, to finding out more information about Governmental positions. Take a look through our posts this year to see what all the hubbub is about.
The OLC has a variety of resources to support students through their journey to become professional. I worked as part of the technical team at OLC and I come from a technical background so when I come across an article related to technology I scan first and read the ones that catch my attention.
As the lead content creator for the OLC, I have pushed out a lot of written work during my work term. Therefore, I think it’s very valuable for me to highlight my favourite stories that I have seen during my time here. One of the reasons I love the OLC so much is the diversity of pieces that are posted and promoted.
Career Conversations is a video series created by SFU Career and Volunteer Services that features a diversity of professionals and organizations across Canada. Our host, Arnav, asks them your most burning questions about work, volunteering and careers in general. Listen to all the episodes of Season 1 here.
SFU Rec… it’s for everyone! Most SFU students, staff and faculty receive a Membership and are our most frequent visitors, however we welcome all. Whether you are beginning or advanced, prefer organized or drop-in, or like individual, team, or group activities, SFU Rec has something for you.
The reason I chose these pieces is because they showed me a new lens to approach community engagement and how I can make an impact using my skills and knowledge, like in this episode in the podcast series "Student Engage" wherein they discuss a program called Connecting Circle in which international students partne
Career Conversations is a video series created by SFU Career and Volunteer Services that features a diversity of professionals and organizations across Canada. Our host, Arnav, asks them your most burning questions about work, volunteering and careers in general. See the second season of Career Conversations here.
Interested in starting a business but don’t know where to start? Don’t know if you can handle it because you’re a student? David has gone through it and succeeded in some ways while failing in others. Learn from his experience in this blog series so you can avoid making the same mistakes.
Welcome to the Thriving in Challenging Times blog. These blog posts are written by SFU Health and Counselling staff members and serve as a resource for the SFU Vancouver community, especially as we navigate through the challenging COVID-19 pandemic.
This Being Human: Stories of Hope and Resilience is a blog series where students can share and find stories about navigating mental health. This series aims to create a sense of shared connection and community by cultivating a deeper understanding of the challenges that students face.
Discover some top picks that one of our incredible OLC editors selected. Editors work with each submission to the OLC, communicating with the contributors to help to develop and tell their story. Taylor worked with many student and alumni authors over her time at the OLC and even kick started our Podcasting Project.
In this series, Jien describes the reality of being a student with a disability. Jien shares her experiences on coming to terms with labeling herself as a person with a disability, what non-disabled privilege is as well as how to satisfy your inner activist through volunteering and how it can help your career options!
Coach Talks is a compilation of helpful tips and resources given by Stephen Kaita, a Career Peer Educator and a second-year International Studies and World Literature student. Topics can range from professional and personal development to a series of different career experiences.
From chemical reactions that hit the ceilings of lecture halls, to trips to remote regions of Northern BC, this is an account of some anecdotes and experiences of Lea's first co-op term. In this series, Lea discusses working for Science AL!VE in the summer of 2014, where she taught children about the field of study that she loves herself.
Christina Coolidge discusses in this 4-part series the creation of the Sacred Trust Initiative (STI), with the purpose of stopping the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.
In this four-part series, Christina shares how Indigenous women are the keepers of language and discusses various issues and topics around language in the Indigenous community.
Leo Ng is a fifth-year BBA candidate in the SFU Beedie co-op program. He worked at Canada Revenue Agency for 8 months. In this three-part series, Leo details his experiences training for the role, learning on the job, and reflections on the 8-month period.
Many people assume Co-op is for undergraduates only. Untrue! In this series, Evgeny, a Computing Science Graduate Co-op student, records his journey working for Broadcom, how he found his strengths, staying motivated and his professional development throughout his Graduate Co-op Work Term.
Patrick started his career as an elementary school teacher and now he is completing SFU’s Computing Science Second degree program. He shares how he got there and how his co-ops with IBM and Malaspina Labs have been a great help! Read on, and learn about Patrick's journey on attaining a second degree in Computing Science.
This is the SFU Club of the Week Series. From 2014-2015, Emily Co interviewed the presidents of 7 different clubs at SFU. Some of the clubs are no longer running, but serve as a reminder of the power of students.
Curious about Facebook's interview process? In this series, Bradley, a SIAT co-op alumni, shares his triumphs and tribulations with Facebooks three-stage interview process - the Phone Interview, Portfolio Review and Application Review - and how it helped his personal and professional development.
In the winter of 2013, SFU Geography student Christiane Palluau trekked to La Paz, Bolivia to work with a CED (Community Economic Development) group. She shared her diary entries with us, which you will find stories about Bolivia's beautiful culture, landscapes and must-see attractions. Follow along with Christiane's journey as she learns, grows and explores!
About to graduate, and unsure of how to start your professional career? In this series, Natalie navigates the road to graduation by sharing advice on networking and informational interviews. These tips will surely help you build connections and kickstart your career!
Are you a Computing Science Co-op student about to embark on your co-op journey? In this series, you'll meet Dylan, a computing science co-op student like yourself who shares his experiences and advice on acing the interviews, becoming an effective engineer and finding the perfect job!
Natalie has written several series on her Co-op journey, after successfully completing her first Co-op position she found herself with some tough choices to make when choosing her second Co-op. She eventually chose to work in the Thelma Finlayson Centre for Student Engagement as a Food Bank coordinator, which you can find in MBC, one floor down from Student Central.
Rachael Hutchinson, a BPK student, wrote this three-part blog series detailing her experience as a Co-op student at Camp Squamish. Stressful, emotional, and fun, Rachel's experience is something you don't want to miss. Rachel learned lessons on accessibility, and providing a safe space for disabled children, but also about her own career goals and aspirations.
Convocation can be scary; Adding the pressure of finding employment afterwards, can be even more daunting. But not to worry, as Caroline, Associate Director of the Beedie Co-op Program, is here to help. This three-part series details three easy steps you can take while searching for a job after graduation.
Thinking about how to prepare for your next Co-op? We get it! Natalie is back, and after her experiences from Round 1 of her Job Search, has much more wisdom to pass on.
Working With Grace is a series of tips and lessons that Grace accumulated over her academic career as a Communications student at SFU. During her academic journey, she gains insight and knowledge from her work terms as a Co-op student, working for BCNET, SFU (Career & Volunteer Services and the SFU OLC), HSBC, and SAP.
In 2010, Yat travelled halfway around the world to work for the Peninsula Hong Kong for five months. In this 3-part series, Yat reflects on his Co-op experience adapting to a new culture and work environment and shares his advice on overcoming cultural differences for a successful international work placement.
Did you just get hired for a co-op position? Are you feeling anxious about what to expect? Like many co-op students, Natalie had fears and felt the pressure of the first co-op work term. But, she learned a lot along the way, and is sharing her wisdom with the SFU community.
Do you have an interview coming up? Feeling unprepared and nervous? In this series, Darryn presents you with “The Dirty Dozen”, a list of the most commonly asked and most unfavourable interview questions, along with helpful tips to guide your responses to them.
Searching for a co-op position can be a challenging task. No matter what seeking term you're in, there are new challenges to overcome, and learn from. In order to make that process easier, Natalie can help.
Having a well-rounded knowledge of different interview types before you endure them allows you to approach each unique situation with confidence, resulting in a successful interview experience. In this series, you'll find articles on the various types of interviews that you may be invited to participate in and how to navigate them with confidence.
Calling all Co-op Supervisors! This series is just for you, and anyone else wanting to improve their coaching and training skills. Creating a great co-op experience for a student can be difficult; especially if it's their first one. In this three-part series, Caroline gives you the best practices into creating a great co-op semester from beginning, middle to end.
Did you ever wonder how is it like to work in a marketing position at TELUS? In this series, Elizabeth Moffat discusses her 8-month Marketing Co-op experience by exploring her first month, adapting to changing circumstances, standing your ground and 7 more great lessons learned.
The Students for Development program, running from 2011-2014, was a project dedicated to securing support for the betterment of children in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ghana and Canada through active awareness and global citizenship of institutions and the public.
Building a portfolio can be difficult - especially if you've had little to no experience, or are in your first-year. In this series, Melissa discusses the basics of a portfolio, what to include and how to promote yourself, to help you in your career exploration.
In this blog series, SFU's Health Sciences students, Silvia, Christine, Lindsay, and Martyna journey to India and share their experiences on what it's like working and volunteering there. These personal accounts encompass memorable anecdotes, reasons to volunteer, tips on travelling to India and so much more!
Are you aimlessly navigating through your academic journey to success? You're not alone. Just like Johnny Bunko, the protagonist from "The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need", Yat struggled with finding his own path. In this series, Yat explores his strengths, mistakes, and leaving an imprint.
Neil Nunn, a third-year Geography student specializing in environmental studies is passionate about environmental, developmental and social justice issues.
You've just graduated! Now what? You're probably facing some form of quarter-life crisis, unsure of what to do, where to go or where to even begin. You are not alone. Career Friends is a group that Samantha Ali started, in order to keep her and her recently graduated friends on track with their job-hunt.
Marilyn Brennan shares her experiences and adventures while working on a Co-op term for Treaty and Aboriginal Rights Research Department (TARR) at Fort St. John.
Want to know what it's like travelling to a different country for your Co-op journey? In this three-part series, Carlie shares her experiences teaching English in China and Thailand. Aside from Carlie's work and volunteering, she spent a great deal exploring the beautiful landscapes of both countries, learning a lot about the culture and herself.
Kinesiology student Kayla Donnawell was in Botswana, Africa volunteering with the Students Without Borders program (SWB). In this series, Kayla navigates the Botswanan landscape and culture while having the opportunity to teach children, learn about the reality of HIV/AIDS and explore other countries such as Namibia and South Africa.
Moldova, a small country located in between Romania and Ukraine, is where Kerri Jang, a BPK student, found herself after volunteering with Projects Abroad. Spending one month on a medical project in the city, and two on a care project in the village, Kerri shares her experiences navigating the unknown, and how she overcame it.
In fall 2008, Kali Penney went on a three month journey as a volunteer Co-op student working with Sociol Legal Aid and Research Training Centre (SLARTC) in Kolkata, India. She worked along side SLARTC, and other organizations in their geriatric and adolescent health, human trafficking and rights and HIV/AIDS fields.
David Lindskoog is a former career advisor with SFU Career Services, and Dave's Diary is a series of blog entries about careers and issues affecting university students. From Resume FAQ's, Networking and the Key to Confidence, Dave has a blog post to share with you.
Meet Adam Brayford, a Communication major and previous OLC writer! For his third co-op term, Adam has traveled into the BC Kootenays to work for the BC Forest Service as a Wildfire Information Officer.
Heather, a Student Advisor for Work Integrated Learning, shares their 3-step guide on how to execute your self-directed work search. In this 3-part series, Heather discusses how to discover your values, networking and informational interviews.
Want to work for the Canucks? In this series, you'll find a range of voices providing you with the inside scoop on what it's like to work for the Canucks. From seeking students to interns to full-time employees, there's an article for every stage of the workflow.
Want to know how to amp up your LinkedIn? Kevin has got your back. Unsure of how social media can enhance job prospects? Kevin will explain! In this series, Kevin explores the ins and outs of social media, offering you helpful advice on how to use it to your professional advantage!
