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SPRING CLEANING!

Our team is doing some spring cleaning starting with user accounts. Login using your CAS credentials for instructions. We appreciate your speedy action so we can move onto other new and exciting initiatives over the summer.

Welcome to the

OLC!

BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS

Join the community using your SFU CAS account.

Join the community using your SFU CAS account. Then, complete your registration by clicking on your name located in the top right corner of the page.

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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Share Your SFU Story 

Have a story to share about your time at SFU? Add your voice to the ever-expanding gallery of community stories on our SFU Stories page! Take about 15 minutes to reflect on your experiences at SFU, including, but not limited to, involvement in clubs, student unions, peer mentorship, and work opportunities. Share your story to educate, inspire, and connect the SFU community. Submissions are welcome year-round, from all years and faculties.

Everyone has a story! What's yours?

SUBMIT

NEW VIDEO SERIES

Multilingual SFU

SFU students (graduate and undergraduate,) staff and faculty share their multilingual experience and welcome you to multilingual week at SFU. Do you have a multilingual story to share? Add it to the OLC.

Watch

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Share Your SFU Story 

Have a story to share about your time at SFU? Add your voice to the ever-expanding gallery of community stories on our SFU Stories page! Take about 15 minutes to reflect on your experiences at SFU, including, but not limited to, involvement in clubs, student unions, peer mentorship, and work opportunities. Share your story to educate, inspire, and connect the SFU community. Submissions are welcome year-round, from all years and faculties.

Everyone has a story! What's yours?

SUBMIT

Changing Times: Stories to Inspire Hope and Resilience

 

Image of Priyanka Das
Blog
Discover Your True Self: 7 Tips to Develop Unwavering Self-Belief and Authenticity
Digital Resource Assistant

Take chances as you never know what opportunities may arise. Meet Priyanka Das, a Beedie Co-op student who’s working with SFU’s Communication and Marketing department as a Digital Resource Assistant. Learn more about how she landed her current co-op and other opportunities such as the CEOx1Day finalist by being authentic and believing in their abilities.

VOLUNTEER STORIES

 

FEATURED

Chinmayee's Picks

Chinmayee's Picks

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.

Jared's Picks

Jared's Picks

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. I would like to share some of my favourite pieces that I had the pleasure of working on. Yes, their grammar and spelling is great and their writing voice is very personal but each of these had something special.

Serena's Picks

Serena's Picks

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.

FEATURED

Hustle Culture

Hustle Culture

When should you stop and take a break? How much work is too much work? In this episode of Diving Into the Everyday, join us as we explore what is hustle culture, looking at its rise in exposure, and why a person may feel this pressure to participate.

Experiencing A New Culture In Mexico

Experiencing A New Culture In Mexico

I learned a lot more about myself – new interests, being more adaptable, future ambitions, etc. It was one of the most unique and remarkable experiences in my lifetime.

7 Ways to Have a Successful Meeting With Your Supervisor or Team

7 Ways to Have a Successful Meeting With Your Supervisor or Team

If you are struggling to facilitate or actively participate in meetings, you are not alone, as many students share the same struggle in school projects, student clubs and the workplace.

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NEW VIDEO SERIES

Job Search in a Pandemic

New episodes of Career Conversations from SFU Career and Volunteer Services are released every Tuesday on the OLC. Tune in see your most burning questions about the world of work, volunteering, and career exploration answered by guests from diverse professional backgrounds and organizations across Canada.

Episode 3 features Kristina Lee, Director of the IT Division at Impact Recruitment. You don't want to miss her expert tips for job searching during the pandemic and how you can best show off your soft skills to employers.

Watch
person laughing

NEW VIDEO SERIES

Job Search in a Pandemic

New episodes of Career Conversations from SFU Career and Volunteer Services are released every Tuesday on the OLC. Tune in see your most burning questions about the world of work, volunteering, and career exploration answered by guests from diverse professional backgrounds and organizations across Canada.

Episode 3 features Kristina Lee, Director of the IT Division at Impact Recruitment. You don't want to miss her expert tips for job searching during the pandemic and how you can best show off your soft skills to employers.

Watch

NEW POST

Activism Burnout: An Interview with Registered Clinical Counsellors

In light of the increased visibility of injustices around the world, taking a stand and contributing to social justice is becoming more prominent in our everyday lives. As you learn and advocate about different injustices, you may experience activism burnout with added stressors such as balancing work, personal life, school, and extracurricular activities. SFU Health Peers interview Counsellors at Health and Counselling Services for advice.

Read

NEW POST

Why You Should Consider Submitting an SFU Story to the OLC

SFU Stories on the OLC are short-form, Instagram-style, narrative stories that help to build a welcoming SFU community. No matter how big or small, every story has something to offer. Share your story today!

Read

NEW POST

I’m Starting a Minor Late Into My Degree... Now What?

One of our OLC team members, Brianna Tsang, shares her experience of deciding her minor in her 3rd year at SFU. "The knowledge and genuine connections made throughout this process has been an amazing experience and opportunity to have."

Read

NEW POST

Social Media Addiction & Screen Fatigue: A Survival Guide for Jobs in Social Media

When it comes to social media and digital marketing positions, it’s easy to be blinded by the positives. After all, many Communication majors are fascinated by digital marketing and algorithms— and if you’re a digital native, creating social media content might already be second nature to you. Whether you manage social media for your organization or create external content, there are a few bonuses to consider.

Read

NEW STUDENT PODCAST

On the Spot with the OLC

The OLC team is extremely excited to introduce a brand new podcast titled On the Spot with the OLC. Your hosts, Mehtaab and Terae, discuss important topics revolving around community, engagement, education and overall life advice! Within these 12 episodes, your hosts aim to bring a well rounded perspective to a variety of topics as they believe they can provide insightful knowledge about what it's like to be an SFU student. Please make sure to have a listen!

Listen to Episode 1: Creating Community at SFU

NEW PODCAST ON THE OLC

StudioBytes

Welcome to Studio Bytes! A podcast inspired by the energy of the SIAT Studios and the memories students make in those spaces. This podcast invites Alumni back into the studio and we get to learn about their experiences at SIAT and their lives after. In Episode 2 meet SFU Alumni Marie Cheung who shares her experience at SFU, her life post SFU and her time in Europe

Listen to Episode 2: What is Service Design?

Login to Provide your Feedback!

Did you know that each landing page on the site has a feedback section for logged in users? We use this information to discover and fix issues, consider site improvements and addition of new features. Our tech team is focused on feature improvements this summer, so share your input to direct changes to the OLC.

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ABOUT

Our Learning Community

SFU's Our Learning Community has an incredible range of content created by and for the SFU community. This includes diverse and authentic stories, which show a range of inspirational knowledge sharing happening between students, as well as handy tools that help with learning anywhere and everywhere you are.
 
Discover how you can contribute to our ever-expanding learning community.

 

CONTRIBUTE
11267
Members Joined

 

2227
231
Projects Created

 

92
Series Compiled

 

EXPLORE

Recognizing that our SFU community members are versatile storytellers, the new OLC has expanded how you can tell your story. Come take a look by exploring into this brand new range of content curated by our editors; this includes Blogs, SFU Stories, Videos, and Podcasts. And remember, no matter where you are in your learning journey at SFU, we want to hear your story! Learn more on how you can contribute to the OLC.

 

 

EXPLORE
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Blog
Get Your Side Hustle On: A Student's Guide to Part-Time Work

As she puts it, grad student Srijani Datta has been a student for most of her life. To support her love of academia she has worked as a reporter, tutor, translator, transcriber, and content writer. Develop your own side-hustle with her tips. 

A woman standing with a cardboard box on her head
Blog
How to Navigate Student Mindset Traps

When students enter their first or second Co-op work term, there can be a risk of falling into student mindset traps. These are the habits we pick up as students that are detrimental to our professional performance and development. Read on to learn more about how Bowen learned to avoid student mindset traps after four Co-op semesters working for three different companies.

READ

LEARN

SHARE

CONTRIBUTE

Videos

Read

Learn

Share

Contribute

There is so much to explore on the new OLC!

So, browse around and have fun with the new learning and storytelling tools. Found something not working?

EXPLORE

Recognizing that our SFU community members are versatile storytellers, the new OLC has expanded how you can tell your story. Come take a look by exploring this wider range of content including Blogs, SFU Stories, Videos, Experiential Learning Experiences, and Podcasts. And remember, no matter where you are in your learning journey at SFU, we want to hear your story! Learn more on how you can contribute to the OLC.

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THE LATEST

Catch up on the latest and freshest content from the SFU OLC. You're bound to find a fresh new perspective, the most current advice, and recently published stories that are sure to inspire you.

 

 

THE LATEST
the author smiling against her workplace backdrop
Blog
Through the Lens of a Patient: A First-Hand Look into Fraser Health’s Model of Patient Care

Patients across BC should expect to receive excellent care from our health system, and it usually delivers. Rasha Syed shares why the best way to assess the healthcare system is to hear patient experiences. 

Gloria and her manager smiling
Blog
Working With a Disability

Disclosing a disability to an employer can be daunting at any point in your career but particularily as a student new to the workplace. Gloria Cheung, shares how she was able to not just survive but thrive with a little bit of support from her employer. 

image of the author
Blog
Lessons from a Co-op Outside of your Field

When Sara began her co-op search she was set on Silicon Valley but soon realized a little local experience was needed. A semester working for International Services for Students at SFU gave her the skills and experience to more confidently pursue her dreams. 

A person sitting in  front of laptop in a coffee shop setting
Blog
Shedding Light on Mental Health in the Workplace

Mental health issues don't just disappear in the workplace.  Nelson urges us to "end the stigma, talk about mental health, form dialogues and accept that we are not alone".

a group of men wearing business casual clothing smiling at the camera including the two authors
Blog
A Startup Journey: Addressing Water Scarcity through Tech

From concept to implementation, launching a start-up can be both exhilarating and demanding. Mechatronic System Engineering students, Hitesh and Devpreet share their start-up journey with Venture Connections and TechE@SFU

a group of men wearing business casual clothing smiling at the camera including the two authors
Blog
A Startup Journey: Addressing Water Scarcity through Tech

From concept to implementation, launching a start-up can be both exhilarating and demanding. Mechatronic System Engineering students, Hitesh and Devpreet share their start-up journey with Venture Connections and TechE@SFU

Woman sitting over desk looking at papers
Blog
Things Happen For a Reason: Three Ways to Turn Every Experience Into a Great Opportunity

Bored already?  Hitting a plateau at work can be discouraging – but it doesn’t have to be.  Follow Lauren’s experience of turning a roadblock into an opportunity for growth.

Video
Common Workplace Phrases: Piece of Cake
Video
What is Your Definition of 'Success'? (Pt. 1)

Sabrina, Marton and Jacob tell us what it means to be "successful" in co-op and how their definition of "success" has changed over time. 

fist bumps between 5 hands
Blog
Five Resources to Access When Seeking Your Co-op Job

Searching for and adapting to your first co-op work term can be tough and quite unexpected. Jordan reveals five tested practices for boosting your resume and building confidence. 

a couple of students standing in front government banners smilling
Blog
Building Relationships: 5 Tips for Networking Within the Federal Government

Interested in a career with the federal government? Kate McMurchy shares tips on building new connections and making the most of your co-op. 

a girl and a guy walking side by side downtown Vancouver
Blog
Leave University with Years of Relevant Experience: Do 3+ Co-op Work Terms

Getting a great job without experience can be tough. Business Co-op Program Manager, Tanya Behrisch explains how to graduate with not just work experience but more than a year of relevant experience, all while completing your degree. 

a letter placed on a windowsill with the text that says mindfulness
Blog
How to Use Meditation and Mindfulness to Live Your Best Life

Read about Jennifer's journey as she explores the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, and dispels myths around the time needed to master it.

a person being interviewed by two interviewers
Blog
As a Senior Co-op Student, What Do I Get for My $800 Tuition?

Thinking about joining the co-op program but hesitant at the idea of having to pay tuition?!? Tanya Behrisch explains the costs and benefits of co-op and the advantages of investing in career development while you are a student. 

Linda smiling against a white backdrop looking into the distance
Blog
Four Mistakes You Are Likely to Make During Your First Co-op Work Term – And It’s Okay!

Mistakes happen, but do you learn to them?  Linda identifies some common mistakes made by Co-op students on their first work term.

the author sitting with her friends/colleagues at a table outdoors
Blog
The Digital World of Information Management | Part Two

In the last part of this two part series, criminology student Julia Apeles shares her experience working as an Information Managment Specialist with the federal government. 

the author standing in front of the company's location near a park
Blog
The Co-op Balancing Act

Hazel Cheung discusses the importance of creating work-life balance and an awesome office culture while on co-op with the RCMP.

the author and her coworkers at the company
Blog
Picking a Community Over a 'Workplace'

Shonnah talks about her co-op experience with MTU Maintenance.

Maggie and her colleague Jen posing in front of a television screen at their workplace
Blog
Overcoming the Distance: Working with a Remote Team

Maggie Quinn discusses her experience of working with a remote team as a Junior Regional Recruiter with Kal Tire. 

A photo of the Connecting Circle team
Podcast
Getting your Idea off the Ground
A picture of Aslam sitting in front of a window.
Podcast
Building Community
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Blog
Is your Employer Doing Enough for the Community?

Are you curious about what impact your employer has on the larger world? Reading about it is not enough! Get up, get out, contribute and see for yourself!

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Blog
Why a Co-op Position Downtown Might be for You

Considering a Co-op position in downtown Vancouver? Find out the perks and challenges of working in Vancouver’s bustling business district.

Coworkers
Blog
Why Your Workplace Environment Matters

There are many things to consider when deciding on your co-op, here are some tips to ensure you have the best co-op experience!

Ryan and his teammates at the gay pride parade
Blog
Three Lessons from Twenty-Four Months on the Job

"I’d be hard-pressed to say I have my life figured out – I really don’t."  Ryan shares what his Co-op journey has taught him and some tips for anyone who is currently doing Co-op.

A photo of two women smiling to the camera
Blog
Pushing Through Rejections: The Co-op Hunt

Finding a co-op is no easy feat! Read on to see how Emily managed to find hers. 

Pathways
Blog
Career Paths Are Never a Straight Line

Follow Sheldon's Co-op journey as a Mechatronic Systems Engineering student and find out what patience, perseverance and sheer tenacity can do to help you land a co-op at Tesla.   

Man yelling angrily into a wired phone
Blog
Good Manners? Who Cares?

Do manners even matter? We think so! Business Co-op Program Manager, Tanya Behrisch shares why manners still count and are the finishing touch for young professionals starting out their careers. 

squares and a circle
Blog
The future of experience design: beyond the screen

Machines are skilled at seeing patterns, but humans are skilled at disrupting them. Investment in AI will only increase. But what you can do as your creative, human self is find the intent within all of these experiences and bring meaning to the forefront.