Skip to main content

OLC Home

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.

JOIN

MESSAGE FROM THE OLC

Thank You for being a Part of the SFU OLC Community

After two decades of sharing educational resources and stories by students, alumni, staff and faculty, the SFU OLC is coming to an end. Thank you to every one of you who contributed stories, shared experiences, and engaged with the OLC over the years. Your participation has enriched our community and made a meaningful impact.

This notice provides you time to save any content you may wish to keep and to revisit the many contributions available. A final closure date will be posted in advance on the site.

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

MESSAGE FROM THE OLC

Thank you for being a part of the SFU OLC community

After two decades of sharing educational resources and stories by students, alumni, staff and faculty, the SFU OLC is coming to an end. Thank you to every one of you who contributed stories, shared experiences, and engaged with the OLC over the years. Your participation has enriched our community and made a meaningful impact.

This notice provides you time to save any content you may wish to keep and to revisit the many contributions available. A final closure date will be posted in advance on the site.

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

 

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Join our team

The OLC is looking for volunteers for various positions that have a range of time commitments including content creators, editors, UI/UX developers, and website testers. Positions are open for all students hoping to gain valuable experience in writing, website development and management, task and time management, collaboration, communication, and more. There is no deadline to apply as we recruit year-round!

APPLY

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.

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
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.

LOGIN

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
11360
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
a phone screen showcasing Amazon stocks rising
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 person flexing
Blog
Just Like Bunko: Learning Strengths

Everyone has weaknesses. But its focusing on your strengths that grant you success in life.

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.

Let us know button - hidden

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
person standing in front of blue sky
Blog
Diving Headphones-First Into the World of Podcasting

I’ve always been deeply fascinated with audio as a medium. After all, I’ve worked with it plenty–I picked up the flute at age 12, and music’s been playing nonstop in my life ever since. Not just performing, either: composition, production, sound design, even a bit of voice acting as a hobby. So, when I saw the post from SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, I was curious. Continue reading to learn more about my experience working in the world of podcasting!

A group of people having a work meeting
Blog
Learning How to Confidently Navigate the Professional World

Nathan shares his key insights during his Co-op experience including the importance of confidence and asking good questions in order to explore new possibilities.

A person doing paper work and planning at their desk
Blog
How to Make the Job Application Process Easier on Yourself

Elina experienced challenges while applying for Co-op during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, at the end of her degree. Follow these tips on how to successfully find a job placement–with less stress!

Photo of Victoria at the SFU Surrey campus
Blog
How Co-op Inspired Me to Get More Involved During my Undergrad

As a communications assistant on campus, Victoria San Martin learned about the value of volunteer work in strengthening soft skills and finding community. Read about how her work term inspired her to seek out more involvement opportunities at SFU.

People riding a rollercoaster
Blog
Overcoming Self Doubt and the Roller Coaster of Getting a Job

Actuarial Science and Statistics student, Dylan McCartney, shares his experience with the ups and downs of job applications and learning as you go.

man standing in front of sign that says "KPMG"
Blog
5 Quick Q&As with a Master of Economics Co-op Student

Meet Ata Malfuzi, an SFU Master of Economics Co-op student. In this quick Q&A, learn a little about his current role at KPMG. Keep on reading as Ata gives some insight into what the hiring process was like, what he's looking forward to the most, and some tips for students who are beginning their co-op journey. 

3 people sitting around a table with their laptops and laughing
Blog
How I Landed My Dream Co-op at a Large Tech Company

After completing 6 Co-op work terms, one thing I really enjoyed about my Co-op experience is that I had the opportunity to gain work experience from different types of organizations. I started with a 5-person non-profit organization, then to a 20-person start-up, and then landed my dream Co-op at a large 100,000+ person multinational tech corporation. One thing I’m thankful I realized early on in my Co-op journey is this: don’t be turned off from doing a Co-op with a small organization.

A person standing at a crossroads in a corn maze
Blog
Co-op is an Opportunity to Learn More About Yourself

Co-op is more than an opportunity to gain experience that will look good on your resume; it is also a chance to reflect and learn more about yourself. Read about Tiffany's experience working with FASS Communications.

A person jumping in the air excitedly over a bridge
Blog
Treating Co-op as a Launch Pad for Future Opportunities

Read about how FASS student, Sophie McCann, bolstered her experiences in part-time jobs and volunteer work by developing her soft skills in communication, teamwork, and leadership with SFU FASS's internal communications and marketing team.

Scientists at a lab
Blog
3 Ways to Continue Learning on Your Next Co-op Term

Completing 3 Co-op work terms can sometimes feel repetitive. Check out Madelynn's tips on how to stay engaged and continually enhance your Co-op experience.

Person standing in front of desktop computer and laptop
Blog
A Philosophical Reflection Of My Co-op Journey

I always knew I was more of a hands-on learner than a reading and writing learner. As much as I enjoy reading, writing, and listening, the thought of rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty was just way more enticing and exciting. As my work term comes to an end, I can wholeheartedly say that I have grown professionally and personally from a timid university student to a budding young professional. 

Photo of Sorren
Blog
Boosting Productivity with Web Development

Sorren shares his experience working on a helper program for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) that streamlines the completion of students' online profile submissions, which allows them to be showcased for their accomplishments, be recognized by employers, and share their research.

A laptop, a cup of coffee, a notepad and pen, and a phone sprawled out on a table
Blog
What I Learned About Adapting as a Creative Intern

As a creative intern at TEALEAVES, Sina had to learn how to adapt to new projects and a new job. Read on to discover how segmenting and balancing her time was the key to her success.

James Halim at Appnovation
Blog
Growth Through Change: Reflections From Design Co-op

Wondering about what it's like to transition into a design role? Read about how James adapted to working life at Appnovation.

Woman sitting on a couch and drinking coffee while working on laptop
Blog
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.

Simrit's workspace at Beedie HQ
Blog
A Day in the Life of a HR & Marketing Assistant

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the SFU Business co-op office? Well, let me tell you – it is a very busy place! The HR & Marketing Assistant co-op position plays a vital role in ensuring students are receiving access to a diverse selection of postings and employers. Keep reading to find out why being in the HR & Marketing Assistant role was such a rewarding experience.

A student working at their desk.
Blog
Working Amidst COVID-19 in My First Co-op Term

With COVID persisting for over a year, working from home has become the new normal. However, we still have a long way to understand how to optimize our time working from the comforts of our bedroom.

Workplace at Wawanesa
Blog
How to Navigate Your First Weeks at Your Co-op

Working at a big insurance firm for your first co-op might be intimidating, and SFU Beedie student Yelena shares her experience acclimating to her job during the first few weeks. 

Tanishvir's Workspace at KPMG
Blog
Learning and Growing on the Job

Learning and growing on a co-op term is expected to happen. Read about Tanishvir's first co-op term as a Staff Accountant and how his co-op term is changing his future. 

Jordan standing outside the WIL offices.
Blog
Don't Just Survive, But Thrive: Balancing Being a Co-op Student with Other Responsibilities

SFU Co-op student Jordan talks about his time working for Work-Integrated Learning while balancing other commitments. 

Nick Spanos
Blog
SIAT Co-op Student Nick Spanos on Working as a Producer in the VR/AR Industry

This week’s SFU Surrey Co-op features Nick Spanos, an Interactive Arts and Technology student who has a background in design and project management. Nick had the opportunity to work as a Producer Intern in XR Immersive Tech for his 8 month co-op placement.

2 people sitting at a table and looking at their laptops
Blog
How to Battle Your Imposter Syndrome at Your Job – and Win!

Welcome to your first Co-op job! You showed your stuff at your interview and wowed your future employers with your knowledge and experience. You come into your first day and that’s when you realize: you don’t know anyone at all, and everyone looks more knowledgeable and more mature than you. Keep reading to see a few tips that Claire has for you to battle your imposter syndrome and win!

picture of a girl and illustration of a computer and girl on a pink background
Blog
5 Tips I've Learned as Digital Communications Specialist on Video Editing

Video editing can be hard. And while this video won’t turn you into an editing master, it can hopefully provide you with some information to make the job easier. Being a third-year Communication student with a passion for creating, Brianna Tsang shares 5 tips and tricks that she has learned throughout her 8-month Co-op placement with FCAT (Faculty of Communication Arts and Technology) as a Digital Communications Specialist.

A headshot of Kayli Jamieson
Blog
Meet Kayli Jamieson: Communications honours student and undergraduate research assistant

In this Q&A, undergraduate student Kayli Jamieson talks about her experience as an Honours Communications student and her current role as a research assistant focusing on disinformation. 

a potrait of Isabelle at SFU Surrey
Blog
SIAT Co-op Student: Behind the Scenes at SFU Surrey

Are you a SIAT Student? Interested in doing your Co-op at SFU? Hear from one of our senior SIAT students - Isabelle Louie, on her contribution to SFU Surrey Campus Administration.

person in yellow sweater typing on laptop
Blog
How to Boss Your First Work Term and Get an Extension

Landing your first work term can be a lengthy and challenging task, but the work doesn’t stop when your get that offer letter. Navigating your first day, and even first term can be tricky. Continue reading to see four tips that helped me make the most of my first work term and helped me turn my 4-month placement into an 8-month one so hopefully, you can too.