Campus Life & Future Careers

Having written numerous articles throughout the past year, inevitably, there comes a time when writers come face-to-face with their worst enemy, writer’s block. Have you ever been plagued with writer’s block or become stuck on an assignment and incapable of moving forward? How do you get rid of writer’s block and back into the motion of producing exceptional work on a regular basis? Returning back to school after a long, sunny and relaxing summer break can be difficult and has also led to us become used to a more lax routine. Settling into our books and focusing can be especially difficult during this time of year. So what exactly can we do to overcome this obstacle?

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Summer is a time that I (and many others) eagerly look forward to and since I am a teacher, July marks my two-month period of relaxation. As I was considering what I would blog about this month, it took me back to my summer travels – specifically, the time I decided to work for a summer camp abroad. Working during the summer, especially if it requires venturing outside of your element, is a fantastic way to discover new things you never knew about yourself. Since I am currently taking several summer classes, beginning a summer job is not in the works for me this year; however, I always aim to start a new hobby or pastime since I have the extra time to invest.

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Many would argue that information is the new currency in our day and age. Targeted advertisement and acquiring customer information is very important to many companies and that’s why corporations, advertisers and online forums aim to get so much information out of online audiences. Protecting our privacy online was the topic in my previous blog, but now I would like to shed some light on protecting our online creations and work. As I continue my educational growth here at McGill, I find myself constantly publishing my grad projects and research findings online. I am just beginning to see how important it is to protect and additionally, share my own work with those around me and those in my field. I began pondering, “what goes into the whole process of copyrighting something?”

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Last month I began explaining the ever-present issue of online privacy when navigating the Internet. I’m not sure whether I should call it a coincidence or just really bad luck…but just yesterday, I was put in a very sticky situation where my privacy and personal information was put at risk. It began when I was in the midst of navigating through different sites using my iPad, then all of a sudden a pop-up I had never seen before emerged and informed me that ‘adware or spyware’ may be present on my device. I wasn’t really convinced by this message and planned to ignore it. Normally, clicking on the exit button (x) would make it vanish; however that was not the case this time. The message kept popping up over and over again and prompting me to call a 1-800 number, displayed as an apple customer service number. Basically, I was not able to remove the pop-up until I called the number because this was blocking my access to navigate through Safari.

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While spending almost a year teaching and researching about digital citizenship in the education sector, I have come across many interesting facts and recurring issues related to this matter. In the 21^st century, we are irrefutably living in two worlds that are closely connected: the virtual world and the non-virtual world; however, for many, these two worlds are strongly bound and make up one ultimate reality.

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Considering Grad School? It can be one of the most challenging and concurrently, rewarding experiences you can ever undergo. For some, grad school is an event that has been planned way ahead of time, and for others it is something you just find yourself falling into in between that period of graduation and finding your career. While everyone has their own reasons for applying and completing a graduate degree, going into the program for the right reasons is a major factor to consider.

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As the end of semester has abruptly come to a close and summer classes have quickly started approaching, I have begun my ritual end-of-session reflecting. As mentioned in my bio, I am at the very end of completing my M.A. in Educational Leadership and am a few credits away from graduation. Grad school isn’t as terrifying as I thought it would be, in fact, it has actually been quite enjoyable so far! Is it for everyone? Definitely not. Throughout my future posts, I plan to share with readers both the highs and the lows of being a grad student, along with an abundance of advice and guidance regarding graduate studies.

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As mentioned in some of my previous blog posts, it isn’t uncommon for our mental or physical health to suffer while we are in ‘cram-mode’ or ‘finals-mode’ during the end of semester. Finding the right balance and ensuring that we are prioritizing and organizing our hectic schedules is crucial to our ultimate success!

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It is a common fact that whether in your professional or social life, people will judge you within the first 90 seconds of meeting you. Harsh, isn’t it? Well, no one ever said you have to please everyone…but when in a job interview, that’s kind of the point. The whole idea of an interview, whether group or individual, is to sell yourself to the best of your ability and attempt to come out on top… so get ready to be a crowd pleaser! Going to an interview is single-handedly one of the most stressful experiences you will have to face throughout your life, but it is inevitable. In realistic terms…you are being judged, by someone who doesn’t know you, every aspect of you – the way you look, act, dress and your bank of knowledge and experience are all put on display for someone to critique. This doesn’t have to be ultra-stressful, so don’t make it be and look at it as a beneficial learning opportunity.

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After working full time with the same employer for over five years, I felt the impact of austerity in the educational domain this year when for the first time in my career, my contract shrivelled from 100% to 50%. Contract work is not easy due to its unpredictability and inconsistency and evidently, permanency and job stability are what most people in the workforce strive for in the long run. We will all face various setbacks in our personal lives, education and work lives, but I cannot stress enough the importance of learning to take away something positive from these challenges and use them to your advantage instead. I will explain how through my own journey, I learned to look at setbacks as a learning opportunity instead of an obstacle.

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