Moving into my new apartment over the past two weeks has been an opportunity for nostalgic recollections of my 90’s childhood and university education. The piles of ‘stuff’ which evoke these memories have less than $0 dollars in current day market value. They are more encumbrance than anything; they include an ancient Sega Genesis system…
Tag: education
How I Graduated University Debt-Free (and you can, too)
I’m one of the lucky ones – after six years of university and an average yearly tuition of $7, 149 (total of $42, 894), I have graduated from my education without debt. In fact, I saved enough money to buy a car and put money into a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax-Free Savings…
Winter at the Royal Botanical Gardens
Although the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG), located on Plains Road West in Burlington Ontario, is better seen in the summer, their winter programming also promises much in the way of nature-based educational entertainment. While visiting the RBG Centre this past March Break, I had the chance to see their exhibit on Savage Gardens/Nature’s Ninjas. All…
Yet Another Diversion: College, Skills, and Work
As the weather offers us a brief glimpse of sunshine and milder temperatures here in Southwestern Ontario, I feel the winds of change approaching. Doesn’t everyone go through a little mini transformation, a shedding of the skin, when springtime approaches? Houses are cleaned of rubbish, cars are scrubbed free of ice and salt, and winter…
To Millennials, with Love
It seems like every day brings with it a new report, news article, or media release on the economic and educational status of the Millennial generation. Today was one such momentous date, bringing with it several new sources of data. I’m pleased to say that one of these articles was based on research conducted by…
A Date with the Career Counselor
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to visit with a career counselor to talk about what makes me tick when it comes to working environment, desired career roles, and personal goals. It’s been exceedingly beneficial for me to step back and look clearly through the haze of competing and contradictory employment-related messages…
Returning to Reality
After a lovely weekend away at camp for the COEO conference, I’m having a hard time facing the reality of life once again. The weather on Saturday was particularly beautiful, and I slipped away from the crowds of people quite often to gaze in rapture at the yellows, reds, and oranges adorning the trees. Leaves…
A Weekend Away at Camp
This weekend, I will be heading up north to spend some time at the Glen Bernard Camp as a part of the “The Unconvention” hosted by the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario (COEO). I’m going to be leaving my laptop at home – so, no emails, no Twitter, no Facebook. My phone will only…
Money for Nothing and Your Chicks for Free
This morning, one of the first tweets that I noticed was an interview from CTV’s Canada AM on the jobs available to new graduates. The interview was with Tara Talbot, vice-president of human resources at Workopolis. Tara suggests that the “top 5 hot jobs” are (note that these are the top jobs that – dramatic…
Redefining the “Gap Year”
Perhaps writing this post will be superfluous, but it will make me feel better. Today I went to Conestoga College and interviewed as a candidate for inclusion in the Women in Skilled Trades (WIST) program. It’s a program that I’ve been silently fascinated with for some time now; I have the ruthless desire to take…
Buying Employment?
As I reflect on my post (“Lost but not Alone“) earlier today, I realize that there is one major thing that requires clarification; I do not in any way mean to defame the value of the university system. I’ve been in university for 6 years now, and I’ve gotten a lot of value out of…
Lost but Not Alone
As I sit and write this post, I’m staring at the wash of first-year undergraduates pouring by the library on the University of Waterloo campus. I find it hard to fathom how many of us there are. Newly-minted university students and graduates are, of course, the subject of many recent news article and public discussion…
Maria Legault 