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Scroll through and catch up on the latest 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. Content is created by the SFU community.

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Changing Times: Stories to Inspire Hope and Resilience

 

Kaylla
Staying Productive While Working Remotely for a Health Authority

Working from home is a common reality for many Co-op students in the past year. Working from home while working for a Health Authority in the thick of the pandemic is a tremendous experience Kaylla went through last year. Take a look at how she learned to stay productive in these uncertain times.

The Latest

 

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Becoming Globally Engaged

Being an international student at SFU is not easy as there aren't many opportunities to meet other students. The Global Student Centre welcomes all, hosting events that bring students together to celebrate diversity and create intercultural awareness. 

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Blog
5 Ways to Avoid the Long Distance Travel Blues

A long bus or plane ride is associated with awkward social situations, a lack of food options, the weird tiny bathroom in the back, and of course, trying not to become mind-numbingly bored.  I’ve investigated past personal experiences to build a survival guide to avoid the long-distance travel blues.

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Work at One of the Big Four Accounting Firms: PwC

Ever wondered what it would be like working for one of the big four accounting firms? Cameron shares his insight into working for PwC and their Audit and Assurance division, including key responsibilities and advice to help you succeed!

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Blog
Choosing Whether to Extend Your Co-op Placement? 6 Tips to Help You Make the Decision

A couple months into your Co-op placement and your manager comes up to you and asks you to stay and work with them for another semester? What do you do? If you’re having a hard time deciding, Michelle Raine is here to offer her six tips in helping you decide whether or not to take that extension.

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Blog
Getting the Most Out of Your Work Term: Nine Tips for Success

Jordan began his co-op at TELUS with a limited skillset and a lack of experience. Eight months later, he left TELUS with more than he could have imagined. In this blog post, he shares nine tips that helped him find success during his work term. 

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Blog
Making Wild Ducks Fly: IBM Extreme Blue Internship

Do you thrive on innovation and creativity? Enjoy developing ground-up software solutions? If so, IBM’s Extreme Blue internship is for you. It is where business, innovation, research, and software development meet to provide solutions to satisfy business needs. Read on to learn about Warunika’s experience as an Extreme Blue intern in software development.

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An Interview with Alley Theatre

The Professional Development Coordinator at SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts interviews Daniel Arnold and Marisa Emma Smith from Alley Theatre about the company, their interest in working with students and advice for emerging artists.

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Blog
The Art of (Not) Having It All Figured Out

Choosing a career is not about selecting an archetype (like ‘lawyer’, or ‘doctor’, or ‘teacher’), but about exploring who you are, what your skill set is, and what type of career will be a good fit for you. In this blog, I talk about letting go of the pressure to have it all figured out, and to instead embrace different ideas and explore different options to find a career that fits. 

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Blog
Six Reasons Why We Like Research

The department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK) will be hosting its 8th Annual Research Day on Friday, March 31. Twelve BPK undergraduate students were asked a simple question: What do you like about research? After compiling all of their responses, I present to you six reasons why we like research!

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5 Important Lessons I Learned From My First Co-op

Nervous about your first co-op job? Don’t be! These five tips will help prepare you for success and boost your confidence levels in no time. Keep calm & read on!

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IMS: A Beacon of Light for Petite Prospective Physiotherapists

Have you thought about physiotherapy as a career option, or as part of your plan to rid your body of aches or pains? This article focuses on my own personal experiences with Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) at my co-op placement, and how it has affected my back pain as well as my future in physiotherapy. 

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Blog
My Life as an International Student: Becoming Different in a Different Culture

If you are an international student struggling with language and culture barriers in Canada, you are not alone. Liu Siyu, is a fourth-year international student here to share her stories about study, work, and career. 

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Blog
10 Tips for Working with Seniors

For some, seniors can be intimidating and difficult to work with. However, after working as a Student Kinesiologist with 6-8 different clients on a daily basis, Matthew has compiled a list of 10 tips and tricks to help anyone working with seniors in any context, not just kinesiology.  

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Blog
What Does a Student Kinesiologist Do, Anyways?

Looking through co-op job postings and have no idea what a job as a Student Kinesiologist entails? I didn’t either. Now that I’ve worked as one, I’m here to shine some light on the subject. 

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Blog
My Co-op Experience as an International Student

As an international student Ha Na had the reality of high tuition, no work experience and challenges in finding employment.  She decided co-op was the solution to learn professional work search skills and gain related employment while attending university.  She shares her challenges and successes along the way.

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Blog
From Retail to Public Servant: A Learning Curve

The RCMP is a sought out employer for criminology students. If your main experience to date is in the retail sector, then there is a lot to discover about interviewing and working in the Public Service. Danika shares her experience moving from retail to working for the RCMP. 

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5 Things Learned From Living & Working in Another Country

From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, Gary shares his experiences and lessons learned from when he lived and worked in the heart of Bavaria, Germany at the adidas Group global headquarters.

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Recruitment & Career Development: What Employers Want

Having been involved in recruitment and on-boarding processes, discussions with managers and engineering recruitment teams, I share my experiences in recruitment and career development to give you insight into what employers are looking for. 

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Videography: From Hobby to Career

Something that first starts out as a hobby may eventually grow into a highly tangible skill that is valued in the eyes of potential employers. For Jessica, she never considered her ability to create stories from videos would be good enough to pursue a career in it. But that all changed when Vancouver Coastal Health called and offered her a position as a videographer.

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Blog
Stop Worrying and Start Living: Using Uncertainties to Discover Yourself

Take a deep breath. Look around you. Everyone has uncertainties! However, embracing your uncomfortable and uncertain situation is the first step to discovering yourself. Read Richard's blog to find out how they turn moments of uncertainties into learning opportunities! 

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SFU Joins National Conversation on International Learning Experiences for Students

SFU has joined the Canadian Bureau for International Education’s (CBIE) Learning Beyond Borders (LBB) initiative to inspire more students to take advantage of learning experiences in other countries. Learn more about this initiative and what is means for you! 

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Inside the Student Learning Commons with the Learning & Writing Peers

Ever needed help with writing a paper? The Student Learning Commons is the place to go. I’m a passionate Learning & Writing Peer Educator. Here’s a glimpse of what it’s like.

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Anatomy Fashion Show Highlights the Intricacies of the Human Body

After a successful event in 2016, the SFU chapter of the co-ed international medical fraternity, Phi Delta Epsilon, will be hosting a second annual Anatomy Fashion Show on March 4th, 2017. This event is being organized by passionate pre-medical students who wish to raise funds for B.C. Children’s Hospital by putting on a creative, entertaining, and interactive event. Monique, the chair of the organizing committee, shares more information about the event in this article. 

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My Co-op Preventing Seniors from Falling

Every 10 minutes a senior is hospitalized from a fall—a preventable cause of injury and death among seniors. Megan joined the Fraser Health Patient Safety and Injury Prevention team as part of their multidisciplinary program to prevent seniors from falling. Continue reading to learn more about Megan's co-op experience! 

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5 Tips to Manage an Obsession with Emails

The distinct ping of a notification at work often leads to a reflexive action in many of us. Do it, check the email. Sasha Zalyvadna shares her experience on how to combat the need to check work emails more often than one probably should.

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Co-op in Japan: Traversing Cultures

After finishing two co-op semesters in Canada, Health Sciences student Samantha Lui wanted to take things farther and ventured off to Japan for eight months as a Research Assistant with the Kao Corporation. Find out how she successfully transitioned into a new environment whilst exploring every part of this exciting country.     

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Overcoming Cultural Pressures in University: A Personal Journey

Read Henna's story on how she overcame career pressure and her journey of career and interest exploration!

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The Student Faces Behind Peer Health Education

The Peer Health Educators, also known as the Health Peers, are an amazing group of students who hold events and workshops to promote various health topics to their peers. I was able to interview a few of the Health Peers to discuss their involvement with the program. Whether you are interested in getting involved or want more information on the types of events held by the Health Peers, keep reading to find out more.

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Decision Support at Vancouver Coastal Health

Ever thought about working in Management Information Systems? Third year business student Vivyn Zhou shares her journey working for System Improvement in the Decision Support department at Vancouver Coastal Health. 

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Reasons to Apply to Companies You Have Never Heard Of

The job application process can be overwhelming, especially you are sifting through an extensive list of companies that you may have never heard of. Amy explains why you should take a chance with a smaller organization and the rewarding experiences that may come with it.

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Back Pain Myth Busters and Spine Hygiene

Do you do sit-ups and crunches to to either get or maintain that six-pack? This article sheds light on why learned habits such as this are detrimental for your back health. In addition, I discuss “Spine Hygiene”, which refers to the daily maintenance of the spine as necessary to prevent back issues.  

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Will Your Career Exist in 20 Years?

Will technological change and automation do away with the careers you’re focused on? Or will they make them more exciting? Learn about the latest developments and what you can do now to prepare yourself for the future.

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SFU’s Big Secret: A Look into My Summer Working for the University

Find out more about my co-op job as a Research Assistant for SFU and discover how Lauren learned to navigate the data, politics and presentations to appreciate a side of the university students don’t normally get to experience. 

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Conservation, Kayaks and Turtles

For her second co-op, Environmental Science student Tegan Gallilee-Lang ventured out to the Greater Vancouver Zoo to assist the Fraser Valley Wetlands Wildlife Project. Read about her adventures on the job and her new animal friends!

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Defogging the Future: 10 Anxiety-Lowering and Empowering Resources for the “Lost” Student

Almost all of us have experienced those all-encompassing feelings of fear, dread, and confusion that so often go hand-in-hand with moving through life and figuring out what it is you want to do. Thankfully, there are ways to prevent anxiety from taking control. Check out this list of on-campus and online resources to find something that works for you!

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A Date With Myself: How I’m Surviving Burnout

Striking a balance between work and life is a difficult task for anyone regardless of their profession. Katerina explains how her desire to work overtook her personal life and she has some tips for making sure burn out doesn’t creep up on you.

 

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The Path and Pursuit of Passion

We’re at a stage in our lives where internal conflict feels like it’s just another part of becoming an adult. None of these conflicts are, perhaps, greater than the life-altering crossroads of whether or not to follow your passion. This is what choosing the path of passion looked like for me.

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It’s Part of My DNA: An Interview with Amber Funk Barton

An interview with the artistic director of a contemporary dance company. Brittany speaks to Amber about her upcoming solo work, past work and background in dance, thoughts on opportunities for emerging dancers, and more!  

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The Unconventional Job Hunt: Creating Your Own Co-op Opportunities

In five years at SFU, engineering physics undergrad Scott Beaupré landed three co-op job positions and four research projects without ever dropping off a résumé. Find out how!